RECENT WORK IN AGRICl LTURAL SCIENCE. 



AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY— AGROTECHNY. 



Organic chemistry, H. I). TIaskins {yew York and Ijmdun, 1913, 2. viL, pp. 

 XIIl-\-4S0, fiys. 2.')). — The swoiul wlition of this work, which is inteiKlod for 

 medicjil, i»h;irni:iceutical, and biolofjical students, contains practical exercises 

 and some i»ortions of physical chemistry in addition to the organic chemistry. 

 It is the belief of the author that an orjianic chemistry text-book desiynetl for 

 the use of medical students should consider all tlie orjianic compounds of im- 

 I)ortance that enter into the study of pliysiology, biochemistry, and pharma- 

 cology. 



Theories of sohitions, 8. Arbhenius {yeio Haven, Conn., and London, 1912, 

 pp. A V +,?.}?'. fiijH. (>\. — These are lectures on theories of solutions delivered at 

 Yale University during the s])ring of 1011 inider the Mrs. II. E. Sillinian founda- 

 tion, as follows: Short history of the the<)ry uf solutions: the modern molecular 

 theory; .susj tensions; the phenomena of adsorption: the analogy between the 

 gaseous and the dissolved state of matter: development of the theory of elec- 

 trolytic dissociation; velocity of reactions; conductivity of solutions of strong 

 electrolytes; equilibriums in solutions; the abnormality of strong electrolytes; 

 and the doctrine of energj' in regard to solutions. 



Some further contributions to simple plant bases. G. Trike (Hoppe-Sei/Ier's 

 Ztschi: Phii.fiol. Clum.. 85 (191.U. Xo. ,7. pp. 37.2— 391).— The l>etains are regarded 

 as the simplest alkaloids formed from amino acids by exhaustive methylation. 



In this work glycin (glycocoll). betain. and cholin were isolated from an 

 alcoholic extract of oat farina. In the phosphatids from oats amino-ethyl 

 alcohol (colamin) was noted but no betain. The amino alcohol was found to 

 react quantitatively with nitrous acid and can be determined in this way. 

 Colamin was precipitated by phosphotungstic acid. 



In areca nuts secondary bases were studied, and after the removal of the 

 arecolin the bases were freed from cholin. 



The following formulas, which differ from those suggested by Jahns, are 

 proposed : 



E^ 



CHj H 



C— COOH 



HjC C— COOH 



CHs 

 HjC C— C=0 



H:C GH 



"V/ 



Guvacin 



HjC CH 



k 



Isoguvacin 

 aHoNO,. 



HsC CH 



CHi 



Arecain 



About betonicin and turicin, A. KtJNG and G. Tbieb {Hoppe-Seylefa Ztschr. 

 Physiol. Chem-., 85 (1913), No. 3, pp. 209-216) .—The betain mixture obtained 

 from Betonica officinalis was resolved into two isomeric bases, one levorotatory 



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