No. 4, January, 1921] PHYSIOLOGY 289 



PHOTOSYNTHESIS 



1999. Ravenna, C. Sulla formazione dell'amido nelle piante verdi. [Starch formation 

 in green plants.] Gazz. Chim. It.il. 50: 359-361. 11)20.— This is an answer fco some criticisms 

 and misunderstanding regarding previous work of the author on the subject. Pollacci (Atti 

 dell' I st it . Bot. Univ. Pavia Ser. 2. Vol. 17:29. 1!)17) questions the value of experiments 

 on the basis of lack of experimental controls, and in the present note Ravenna points to the 

 value of and interpretation to 1"' given to the controls which he had established in his work. — 

 A. Bonazzi. 



2000. Saunders, J. T. A note on photosynthesis and hydrogen ion concentration. Proc. 

 Cambridge Phil. Soc. 19:315-310. 1920.— Slight variations in hydrogen-ion concentration 

 in shallow water is due to photosynthctic activity of plants present. — Michael Levine. 



2001. Smith, A. Malixs. The temperature coefficient of photosynthesis: a reply to criti- 

 cism. Ann. Botany 33 : 517-536. 2 fig. 1919. — The author analyses the criticism in three 

 papers which have appeared recently discussing current conceptions respecting photosyn- 

 thesis and the relation of environmental factors to this process. All three criticisms appeared 

 in the Philippine Journal of Science, two being by Brown and Heise, and one by Brown, 

 — B. M. Dug gar. 



METABOLISM (GENERAL) 



2002. Bourquelot, Em., and M. Bridel. Recherche et caracterisation du glucose dans 

 les vegetaux, par un procede biochimique nouveau. [The detection of glucose in plants by a 

 new biochemical process.] Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. Paris 170: 631-635. 1920. — A new 

 method is described which constitutes an absolutely diagnostic test for glucose and allows 

 quantitative determinations to be made. The solution or extract of tissue to be tested is 

 mixed with methyl alcohol and emulsin. A methyl glucoside is formed which may be crystal- 

 lized out by evaporating the solution to dryness in vacuo and boiling the residue with acetic 

 ether; the glucoside crystallizes upon cooling. It is laevorotary. A study is made of known 

 mixtures of sugars to make sure that glucose is the only one involved in this reaction. Some 

 plant tissues are also studied. — C. H. and W. K. Farr. 



2003. Posternak, S. Sur la synthese de l'ether hexaphosphorique de l'inosite et son 

 identite avec la principe phospho-organique de reserve des plantes vertes. [On the synthesis 

 of hexa-phosphoric ether of inosite and its identity with the phospho-organic principles of green 

 plants.] Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. Paris 169: 138-140. 1 fig. 1919.— Hexa-phosphoric ether 

 of inosite was prepared synthetically and found to be identical with the phospho-organic 

 reserve of green plants. — V. H. Young. 



2004. Woo, M. L. Chemical constituents of Amaranthus retroflexus. Bot. Gaz. 68: 313- 

 344. 11 fig. 1919. — There is a large amount of nitrate in the organs of Amaranthus retroflexus, 

 especially in the stem and branches. The rate of nitrate absorption increases with age. 

 This high capacity for nitrate absorption and storage must be an important factor in com- 

 petition with cultivated plants, since nitrate deficiency so commonly limits crop production. 

 The carbohydrates and nitrogen compounds fluctuate throughout the growing period in in- 

 verse ratio to one another. The seeds contain much more organic than inorganic phosphorus. 

 The distribution of nitrogen in the seeds is in the same order as that of the phosphorus. The 

 predominating sugars in the seeds are the polysaccharides. The presence of nitrogen and 

 phosphorus in the lipin fraction indicates that the seeds contain phosphatides. — H. C. Coicles. 



METABOLISM (ENZYMES, FERMENTATION) 



2005. Willaman, J. J. Tyrosinase of fungi. [Rev. of: Dodge, C. W. Tyrosin in the 

 fungi: chemistry and methods of studying the tyrosinase reaction. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 

 6:71-92. 1919. (See Bot, Absts. 4, Entry 1446.)] Bot. Gaz. 68: 392. 1919. 



