BY R. GREIG SMITH. 139 



made to break up the asci and obtain a solution of the slimj'^ 

 material. The most successful method was found to consist in 

 heating the emulsion in the autoclave up to three atmospheres 

 pressure. With this treatment the emulsion separated into a 

 viscous solution and a yellow sediment. The slightly opalescent 

 viscous solution was clarified by using small quantities of alu- 

 minium hydrate, care being taken to avoid an excess of the 

 hydrate, which coagulated the gummy material of the solution. 



The clear solution was viscous, but readily passed through filter 

 paper. On the addition of alcohol a voluminous white curd}^ 

 precipitate was thrown down This readily swelled up in water 

 to form a clear gelatinous unfilterable emulsion. On standing for 

 some weeks the sterilised and clear emulsion became slighth^ 

 turbid, a light flocculent portion separating out, leaving a filterable 

 solution. From this behaviour it would appear that treatment 

 with alcohol alters the outside surface of the lloccules to an 

 insoluble modification, so that on subsequent treatment with 

 water each particle of dissolved slime is enclosed in a thin mem- 

 brane. The addition of alcohol to the gelatinous solution again 

 gave a curdy precipitate, but on repeating the precipitation 

 several times a stage was reached when the addition of alcohol 

 produced no precipitate, and formed an opalescent solution. 

 However, on adding traces of salts — such as common salt — the 

 curdy precipitate was again formed. The aqueous solution was 

 tested with a number of reagents, and the reactions obtained are 

 as follows : — 



EkACTIONS of the mucilaginous slime of the ASCI. 



Lead acetate... ... ... ... opalescence; opaque solution on heating 



Basic lead acetate ... .. ... precipitate 



Ammoniacal lead acetate ... ... precipitate 



Barium hydrate ... .. . . no precipitate 



Calcium hydrate ... ... ... precipitate 



Copper sulphate no precipitate 



Ferric chloride ... ... ... no ppt. followed by ammonia gave no 



ppt. of Fe (OH). 



Hydrochloric acid, dil opalescence 



Alcohol ... ... ... ... curdy precipitate in presence of salts 



