( 371 ) 



So this preliminary experiment showed, that in the autolysis sugar 

 was decomposed and organic acid formed. In furthei- experiments 

 however a different plan was adopted. After the tissue had been 

 rubbed fine in a mortar, 1 strained tlie pulp through the finest 

 plankton gauze; the lluid thus obtained, which was almost'perfectly 

 clear, was heated with a thi-ecfold quantity of 957^ alcohol, tiie 

 precipitate filtered, washed out with alcohol and dried in the air 

 in the dark till all the alcohol had eva|)oi-ate{l (about 12 hours). 



The powder then obtained i.e. a crude enzyme or a mixture of 

 enzymes was used for further experiments and was found to have 

 a strong glucoclastic action; similarly the pressed-out, dried niass had 

 this action, even after treatment with acetone. 



The former result was unexpected because Hahn, with a crude 

 enzyme prepared in the same way from Arum mamlatum, only 

 obtained a very weak action and because more investigators in this 

 field hold the view, that destruction of cell-structure and treatment 

 with alcohol weakens the action of the respiratory enzymes in tissues 

 rich in water, and even desti'oys it. 



Zaleski ') says : "Ueberhanpt kann man sagen, dass die Zerstörung 

 der Struktur am starksten die Atmung derjenigen Objekte vermin- 

 dert, die im Zustande tiitigen Lebens sich befinden, oder wasserreich 

 sind. Noch starker wird die Kohlensaureansscheidung zerriebener 

 Objekte nach dem Behaudeln derselben mit organischen Lösungsmit- 

 tehi wie Aceton und Alkohol vermindert, und manchmal hort diese 

 ganz auf." 



This cannot therefore be generally valid, at least not for the object 

 here investigated, which is rich in water and is in condition of 

 active life. 



In exactly the same way I have been able to obtain from the 

 fresh leaves of Sauroniafam a crude enzyme, that decomposes glucose 

 while forming 00.^ and organic acid. The action was however weaker. 



The dried preparation of the enzymes was generally used at ojice 

 for the experiments, after some days the activity diminished, although 

 it did not completely disappear. 



If I made the preparations by treating the press juice with acetone, 

 I obtained a precipitate that was similai'ly active after removal of 

 the acetone. 



The experiments were made as follows. 



The enzyme preparation was mixed in a Mask of 750 cc. capacity, 

 with 1 7o glucose solution sterilised by boiling, and with some 



ij W. Zaleski Atmungsenzyme dei- Ptlanzen. Bioch. Zeilsch. Bd. 31. 1911. 



