1915] Casimir Funk 3^9 



ment, were treated in a mortar with 150 gm. o£ neutral lead acetate 

 and shaken on a machine for i hr, Alcohol was added to render 

 the precipitate more insoluble ; the liquid was filtered. The filtrate 

 was freed from excess of lead and evaporated. The resulting white 

 residue was dissolved in water, and alcohol added. Gelatinous 

 material separated out, which was filtered off; 1.3 gm. was obtained. 

 The aqueous filtrate from this substance was evaporated in vacuo, 

 the residue dissolved in alcohol and precipitated with alcoholic mer- 

 curic chlorid sol. The resulting precipitate was decomposed with 

 hydrogen sulfid and the filtrate evaporated to dryness. The residue 

 was redissolved in water, and the liquid freed from chlorid by means 

 of silver acetate. The filtrate, freed from silver, gave 3 gm. of 

 substance, which is now being carefully investigated. 



The mercuric chlorid filtrate was freed from mercury with 

 hydrogen sulfid, and evaporated ; the residue was dissolved in water 

 and freed from chlorid with silver acetate. The filtrate from the 

 silver sulfid gave, after evaporation, o. i gm. of substance. 



Treatment of the acetone-soluble fraction. The acetone sol., 

 obtained by the above mentioned treatment, was diluted with water, 

 decomposed with 2 k. of neutral lead acetate, shaken for i hr., and 

 filtered. The precipitate was again suspended in 30 percent acetone 

 and filtered. The combined filtrates were freed from excess of lead 

 and evaporated in vacuo. The residue, which did not crystallize, 

 was dissolved in water and precipitated with alcoholic mercuric 

 chlorid sol.: 99 gm. of precipitate (dry) were obtained. Both the 

 precipitate and the filtrate were freed from mercury and evaporated ; 

 both yielded small amounts of crystalline hydrochlorids. The fil- 

 trates from the hydrochlorids were fractioned in the usual manner 

 with silver nitrate, and with silver nitrate and baryta. These f rac- 

 tions, which gave only exceedingly small amounts of different sub- 

 stances, will be investigated later when larger quantities of material 

 are available. 



SuMMARY. With the idea that the therapeutic action of cod- 

 liver oil is not due to peculiar fatty constituents in the oil, but to the 

 presence of nitrogenous substances, a Separation of the latter from 

 the oil was effected. The raw material used was crude cod-liver 

 oil, since this is richer in organic bases than the purified variety. 



