400 



Journal of Agricultural Research 



Vol. XIII. No. 8 



Antagonistic Action op Salts Upon the Imbibition of Water by 

 THE Various Glutens in the Presence of Hydrochloric, Oxalic, 

 Lactic, and Acetic Acids. — The amount of water imbibed by the P, C, 

 and W3 glutens was again measured as under (a) , with the exception that 

 various salts in 0.005 molar concentration were added to the acid solutions. 

 The salts used were potassium chlorid (KCl), potassium phosphate 

 (KH2PO4) ,potassium tartrate (KHC4H^06) ,calcium chlorid (CaClz + 2H2O), 

 mercuric chlorid (HgClj), magnesium sulphate (MgSO^ + /HP) , and 

 aluminium sulphate AI2 (804)3. All of these salts were used with hydro- 

 chloric and lactic acids, but only the first three with oxalic and acetic 



cc/vcs/vr/P/^r/OA/ o^ /ic/£> 



Fig. 6. — Graph showing the imbibition curves for P gluten in lactic acid and in lactic acid plus certain salts. 



acids. The quantity of v^^ater, in grams, imbibed per gram of moist gluten 

 under these conditions is given in the latter columns of Tables I to IV. 

 It is physically impossible to visualize the data given in these tables 

 without the aid of graphs. The corresponding curves were accordingly 

 constructed and are shown in figures 6 to 17. 



(c) Flour Analyses and Baking Tests. — In Table VI are shown the 

 following data determined from either the analysis of the flour or from bak- 

 ing tests : Ash on dry flour as determined by ignition in platinum in a muffle 

 furnace, ash in an aqueous extract of the flour, ^ ratio of "soluble ash" to 



1 100 c.c. of carbon-dioxid-free water containing a few drops of toluene were added to as gm. of flour; the 

 mixture was thoroughly stirred and allowed to stand for three hours, after which the solution was filtered 

 off for the "soluble-ash" and specific-conductivity determinations. 



