5o6 Transactions of the Canadian Institlte. [Vol. VII. 



This property of gliadin, of being precipitated with excess of acid, has 

 not, I think, been hitherto noted. Since the compound of Morishima 

 was prepared in practically the same way artolin is evidently gliadin in 

 acid combination. Glutenin remains in solution. The body obtained 

 under these circumstances by Morishima would perhaps correspond to a 

 proteid salt,^ e.g., a chloride of gliadin. I obtained the substance 

 called conglutin by Fleurent^^ but in quantity insufficient for analysis. 



In order to decide whether the iron and phosphorus in gliadin and 

 glutenin were actually in molecular combination in these compounds, 

 resource was had to the microscope. Grains of Manitoba hard wheat 

 were imbedded in celloidin and sectioned. Macallum's methods for 

 determination of iron-V'^ and phosphorus^^ were used. 



For iron the celloidin was removed by equal parts of alcohol and 

 ether, the sections passed through absolute alcohol and inorganic iron 

 salts removed by 2.5 per cent, hydrochloric acid in 95 per cent, alcohol. 

 Sections so treated showed no trace of colour with pure h^ematoxylin in 

 aqueous solution (0.5 per cent.) after the lapse of thirty minutes. The 

 sections now placed in sulphuric acid alcohol (4 vols, acid, 100 alcohol) 

 at 40° C. were removed at intervals of half hours ; on washing out the 

 acid, and placing in ha^matoxylin, the sections gave a marked reaction 

 for iron, the organic iron combination having been broken up and the 

 inorganic iron salt formed retained in situ. 



Sections unextracted by hydrochloric acid showed much inorganic 

 iron in the aleuron layer and germ. When this had been removed by 

 hydrochloric acid no colour whatever appeared after standing for twenty 

 minutes in hasmatoxylin solution. After treatment with sulphuric acid 

 alcohol the nuclei of the aleuron and large parenchymatous endosperm 

 cells were stained with haematoxylin purplish blue-black. The aleuron 

 cell contents gave no reaction, nor did the proteid matter of the 

 endosperm, which constitutes gluten. Gliadin and glutenin, therefore, 

 do not contain iron in their molecules, and that present must have been 

 derived from the nuclei of the cells of the endosperm and aleuron layer* 

 and possibly in small amounts from embr\-o cells. 



The distribution of iron in the embryo, or germ, is a point of interest. 

 The closely packed cells of the embryo each contained a large nucleus 

 coloured with haematoxylin almost black. In the rapidly dividing cells 

 of the radicle and plumule a diffused purplish blue-black reaction 

 occurred, which under the highest power could not be identified with any 

 definite granules or structures. Some of the cells, other than those in a 



