Compounds of Albumin and Myosin. 323 
cipitate with hydrochloric acid, the solution gives no reaction for 
sulphuric acid with barium chloride. 
With cupric sulphate and cupric acetate the same is ordinarily 
true. It is possible, however, to prepare a myosin-copper compound 
in which cupric sulphate appears to unite directly with the myosin. 
(a.) Copper compounds. 
By adding either cupric sulphate or cupric acetate to a neutral 
ammonium chloride solution of myosin, a heavy greenish colored 
precipitate is obtained, which when freshly formed and after thor- 
ough washing with water, so that the washings are entirely free 
from chlorine and from copper, shows the following reactions. It is 
insoluble in moderately strong nitric, hydrochloric or sulphuric acid. 
The compound, however, is immediately broken up by the action of 
acids, the copper being completely removed, leaving the myosin as an 
insoluble residue having in the case of nitric acid a yellow color, and 
in the case of hydrochloric and sulphuric acids a white color. In acetic 
acid, the compound is more soluble, first, however, becoming semi- 
gelatinous. In ammonium hydroxide, the compound dissolves slowly 
or partially, taking on a blue color. In dilute sodium hydroxide, the 
compound swells up, takes on a purple color, but does not dissolve. 
In dilute sodium carbonate, the substance is likewise insoluble, but 
swells up and turns of a bluish color. 
Following are the results of the analyses of the various prepara- 
tions made. The compounds were in every case composed simply of 
the metallic oxide and myosin. Copper was determined, as in the case 
of the albumin compounds, by simple ignition and weighing as oxide. 
In order to ascertain how much ash was retained by the myosin 
compound, a few duplicate determinations of copper were made by 
dissolving the oxide after ignition, and precipitating the copper as 
sulphide and weighing as subsulphide, after ignition with a little 
pure sulphur in a current of hydrogen gas. 
Serigs I. 
With CuSO,. 
Amt. Sub. Per cent. Per cent. 
No. taken. Wt. CuO. Cu. Wt. Cus. Cu. 
la 0°5426 gram. 0:0074 gram. 1:08 0:0056 gram. .0°81 
b 0°7176 0°0097 1°07 0:0073 0:80 
2a 0°6359 0°0087 1:08 0:0071 0°88 
b 0°5738 0:0078 1-08 0:0061 0°83 
