AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY. 1007 



per cent, lysin 2.93 per cent. ;uul ;iiiiiii()ni;i i.'.]2 per coiit. Tlie prosoiico of tryp- 

 tophan was demonstrated. Alanin, valin, and serin wt-re not isolated. 



"These fiiLinres show that zein, like the other alcohol soluble proteins, is 

 characterized by yielding a very small percentafic of arginin and histidin, no 

 lysin, and much anunonia and prolin. The i)roportion of glutaniinic acid is 

 much less tlian that found in the other alcohol soluble proteins, hordein and 

 gliadin, wliile the i)rop(»rti<in of leucin is very much greater. Unfortunately 

 the amount of the alkali soluble protein wldcli was available for hydrolysis was 

 too small to enable us to obtain satisfactory results for quantitative comi)ari- 

 son. It is interesting, however, to note that those amino acids which are lack- 

 ing in zein are all present in notable proportions in this protein, so that the nux- 

 ture of the proteins as they occur in this seed yields all of the amino acids 

 usually obtained from jirotein substances." 



The hydrolysis of gliadin from rye, T. P.. Osborne and S. IT. Clapp (A inn: 

 Jour. I'hysiol., 20 {11)08), No. J,, pp. -}.') J-'/9f>).— The authors determined the 

 products obtained by hydrolysis of rye gliadin and report the results in compari- 

 son with similar data which have been reported for wheat gliadin (E. S. R., 

 19, p. 702), hordein of barley (E. S. It., 10, p. (ill), and zein of maize (see 

 above). The 64.31 per cent hydrolysis products ol)tained from rye gliadin are 

 made up as follows: (Jlycocoll 0.13 per cent, alanin 1.33 per cent, leucin 0.30 per 

 cent, prolin 9.S2 per cent, phenylalanin 2.70 per cent, aspartic acid 0.25 per cent, 

 glutaminic acid 33.81 per cent, serin 0.00 jier cent, tyrosin 1.19 per cent, arginin 

 2.22 i)er cent, histidin 0.39 per cent, and ammonia 5.11 per cent. Valin and 

 cystin were not isolated, but tryptophan was found to be present. 



" The agreement between the analyses of the gliadin from wheat and rye is 

 so close that the conclusion that differences exist between the preparations from 

 these two seeds is not justified. Between hordein, zein, and gliadin, however, 

 such distinct differences exist that, taken in connection with the differences in 

 ultimate composition and properties, there can be no question that these are dis- 

 tnictly different proteins. These hydrolyses show that the alcohol-soluble pro- 

 teins of the cereals form a distinctly characterized group which differ from 

 all the other protein substances thus far analyzed. These differences are espe- 

 cially shown in their high content of prolin, glutaminic acid, and anunonia, 

 and their low content of arginin and histidin and absence of lysin. Zein is 

 especially worthy of note, as it lacks glycocoll, lysin, and tryptophan, which 

 are obtained from nearly all the other proteins." 



The condensation of acetaldehyde and its relation to the biochemical syn- 

 thesis of fatty acids, H. S. Raper {Jour. Chem. Hoc. [London], Dl {1907), Xo. 

 5'il, pp. 1S31-1S3S). — The investigation reported is a contribution to the ques- 

 tion of the possible formation of fatty acids in animals from carbohydrates by 

 condensation of " some highly reactive substance containing two carbon atoms 

 and formed in the decoiii|iosition of sugar." 



The characteristics, especially the polarization, of saccharin and alkali 

 saccharinate, E. Rimbacii and E. Heiten {Licbig's Ann. Chcm., 359 {1908), 

 No. 3, pp. 317-335). — Experimental data are reported and discussed. 



The sources of arsenic in certain samples of dried hops, W. W. Stock- 

 BEUCiER {U. S. Dept. Ayr., Jiur. Plant ln<lufi. Bui. lilt, pp. J/l-'iG). — Froni the 

 investigations mentioned the following conclusions are drawn: 



"Traces of arsenic may occasionally be found in dried bops irrespective of 

 their geographical origin. 



" If available arsenic is i)resent in the soil it may be taken up by the hop 

 plant under favorable conditions. 



48025— Xo. 1 1 —08 2 



