Compounds of Albumin and Myosin. 331 
The average content of mercury (Hg) is 2°43 percent. The results 
of each series show a fairly close agreement, but the two series do not 
compare with each other at all. Thus, the average amount of mer- 
cury in the compounds of the first series is 1°99 per cent., while in 
the second series the average amount rises to 2°87 per cent. This is 
another good illustration of the influence of the strength of the solu- 
tion on the composition of the precipitate, and as in this case the 
presence of any ash could not interfere with the ultimate result, since 
the mercury was separated by distillation, it follows that the appar- 
ently higher content of mercury in the second series must be due to 
combination of the myosin with a larger amount of the metal. Fur- 
ther, it has been claimed* that in the case of the silver albuminate, 
it is possible under certain circumstances for the albuminate, when 
formed in a concentrated solution, to inclose a variable amount of 
albumin mechanically, and thus the apparent percentage of silver in 
the albuminate be reduced. If such was true of the myosin-mercury 
compounds, a far greater variation would be expected in the per- 
centage of mercury in the different preparations of the same series. 
The following table of comparisons shows the average content of 
metal in the albuminates formed from the two kinds ot proteid 
matter. 
Kgg-albumin. Myosin. 
Copper compound, 0:94 per cent. Cu 1:17 per cent. Cu 
Tron s 0°95 Fe 2:29 Fe 
Zine se 0-91 Zn 0°72 Zn 
Uranyl ee 460 U 7-49 oh 
Mercury ‘ 2°89 Hg 2°43 Hg 
Lead 2°56 Pb Lee pe! 
Silver gs 4:09 Ag eee wae 
Nickel ae 4°70 Ni 
Cobalt ss 6:03 Co 
Apparently, the two forms of albuminous matter, the albumin and 
globulin, do not form corresponding compounds with the metallic 
salts experimented with. 
* See Loew, Pfliiger’s Archiv fiir Physiologie, Band xxxi, p. 393. 
