MEMOIKS OF THE ^'AT10^;AL ACADE.MV OF SCIKNCKS. 



HI 



is distiuct in oomijositioii from tliat obtaiiictl after the oat.s have hcoii in coiitm-t with water. It 

 is remarkable that all those transConiiation.s are the result of the use of water or salt solution as 

 contrasletl with the u.se of aUohol. alkali, or heat, thr.f af;eiits known to snsi)en<l or destroy fer 

 ment action. The fact that the {jlolmiin extracted after treatinent of the tiround oats with alcohol 

 has the same comiio.sition as that obtained by direct treatment with sodium chloride, w(mld indi- 

 cate that alcohol temporarily suspends a ferment a«'tioii, which is indnceil by water or solutions of 

 neutral .salts. It is juobable that the primary jiroteids originally contained in the oat kernel are 

 the three foUowint; bodies: 



I'fimury oa( jiroieidn. 



Of the above substances the alcohol soluble proteid forms about one and a quarter per cent, the 

 globulin about one and a half per cent, and tlie alkali soluble body the remainder of the proteids 

 contained in the oat kernel, with the possible exception of tixtremely small amounts of proteose 

 and acid albumin. The two latter .substances are quite probably the results of change occurring 

 during extraction; the evidence, however, on this jioint is not conclusive. 



Three other proteids are obtained, evidently by the alteration of the primary proteids, and 

 probably through ferment action if the ground oats are subjected to contact with water or solutions 

 of neutral salts. The composition of these derived or secondary ])roteids is as follows: 



Secondary oat proteids. 



Cailxm... 

 HydriiiLrcn 

 Nitnigeii . 

 Sulphur.. 

 Oxygen . . 



Alcohol soln- 

 blb proteid 



(average of 4 

 aiialysos). 



Salt-soluble 



globulin (aver- 

 ago of 4 anal- 

 yses). 



53.70 

 7.00 

 15.71 



100.00 



Alkali soluble 



analys 



.52.34 

 7.21 , 

 16.88 



22^69 



17.11 



0.80 

 22. .'50 



It would appear that none of the proteids from the oat kernel have hitherto been obtained in 

 a .state of purity. The author therefore reserves th»> right to revise the nomenclature of these 

 bodies after further progress in his researches on the other vegetable proteids with which he is 

 now engaged. 



LABOE^TOKY of the ('ONNECTICUT 



AGRIClLTrUAL EXPEHniENT STATION, 



ifew Haven, Conn, November, 1891. 



