420 HEPBURN— BIOCHEMICAL STUDIES 



The liquor from unopened pitchers contained potassium, sodium, 

 magnesium, calcium, chlorine (hydrochloric acid), and organic acids; 

 other bases, and sulphuric, phosphoric, oxahc, tartaric, and racemic 

 acids were shown to be absent. 



The Hquor from opened pitchers was yellowish and not always clear; 

 it was acid to litmus, and contained the same acids and bases as were 

 present in the liquor of unopened pitchers. A determination of total 

 solids gave 0.87 percent; the solids were yellow and readily soluble in 

 water. Free volatile acids (including acetic and formic) were absent, 

 for distillation of one-half ounce of the liquor to dryness yielded only 

 distilled water as a distillate. 



A further study of the organic acids and the ash was made on the 

 residue obtained by evaporation to dryness of the mixed liquor collected 

 from both unopened and opened pitchers. The organic acids were found 

 to consist chiefly of mahc acid, plus a httle citric acid. 



The ash had the following composition: — 



Total 100.63% 



Using the average value for the volatile matter of the total solids of 

 the liquor of unopened pitchers (see above), and allowing for the carbonic 

 acid content of the ash, the composition of the total solids was found 

 to be: — 



Organic matter (chiefly malic acid and a little citric acid) 38.61% 



Potassium chloride 50.42% 



Sodium oxide 6.36% 



Calcium oxide 2.59% 



Magnesium oxide 2.59% 



Total 100.57% 



The yellow color (e.g., of the total solids) is ascribed to a small quan- 

 tity of "another organic matter." 



