314 Proceedings Columbia Biochemical Association [Jan. 



Dr. F. J, Seaver, of tlie N, Y. Botanical Garden, was examined by 

 the methods described on page 210. In each experiment 3 kilosof 

 soil were treated with 9 liters of 2 percent sodium hydroxide sol. 

 for 4 days. Slight traces of di-hydroxy stearic acid, resin acids, 

 paraffins and paraffin acids, picoline carboxylic acid, arginin and 

 histidin were found in the unburned soil. 



Three kilos of this raw soil were then " burned " by placing them 

 in an oven at 12 o'clock noon. The oven temperature rose from 

 100° to 150° C. by 5 o'clock and was kept at that point until 9 

 o'clock the next morning, when the soil was removed and treated in 

 the same manner as the unburned portion, with the result that there 

 seemed to be less di-hydroxy stearic acid, more resinous substances 

 soluble in ether, and neither picoline carboxylic acid, histidin nor 

 arginin. There appeared to be no change in the amount of paraffin 

 Compounds. 



On the whole the work was quite unsatisfactory because of the 

 f act that the isolated substances were too small in amount to be con- 

 clusively identified. The work has served to show, however, that 

 one must start with many times the amount of soil recorded above 

 in Order to determine the changes in the chemical nature of the 

 organic constituents of soils under the influence of heat. 



Biochemical Lahoratory of Columbia University, 

 College of Physicians and Stirgeons, New York 



