402 Progreis of Fureign Science. 



On the Zeine of Maize. — The zeitie of John Gorhara, is ob- 

 tained from Indian corn, by infusing it in water, filtering, and 

 treating with alcohol the matter insoluble in the former liquid, 

 and evaporating the alcoholic solution. We thus obtain a yel- 

 low substance having the appearance of wax ; it is soft, ductile, 

 tough, elastic, insipid, nearly void of smell, and denser than 

 water. When heated, it swells, becomes brown, exhales the 

 odour of burned bread mixed wiih an animal smell, and leaves 

 a bulky charcoal. It affords no ammonia. Insoluble in water, 

 it dissolves readily in alcohol, oil of turpentine, sulphuric ether, 

 and partially in the mineral acids, and caustic alkaUs. It is 

 insoluble in the fixed oils, but may be united with the resins. 



Though different from all known vegetable products, it ap- 

 proaches in its nature somewhat to gluten, from which, how- 

 ever, it is distinguished by the absence of azote ; by its per- 

 manence ; for it does not change its nature, or become spoiled 

 in the air; and, finally, by its solubility in alcohol. It resem- 

 bles the resins in this respect, since it dissolves like them in 

 the volatile oils, Sfc. It is inflammable, and consists of carbon, 

 hydrogen, and oxygen. It is very readily extracted from the 

 maize, by digestion for a few hours in hot alcohol. The filtered 

 liquid, yields, on evaporation, pure zeine. 



On the Hop. By M. M. Payen and A. Chevalier. — It appears 

 that M. Planche, some time ago, ascertained that the three 

 active ingredients of hop, the oil, resin, and bitter prin- 

 ciple reside in the brilliant yellow grains scattered over 

 the calicinal scales of the cones, which serve as their enve- 

 lope. Dr, Yves, of New York, and the authors of the 

 present memoir, now confirm this position. This matter, when 

 insulated, is of a golden yellow colour, in little grains, formed 

 of an impalpable powder, without consistence, which attaches 

 itself to the fingers and renders them rough ; it has a penetrat- 

 ino- aromatic odour. 200 grammes of this substance being put 

 into a retort, with 300 grammes of distilled water, the mixtnre 

 was subjected to distillation, and afforded water and oil of an 

 odour entirely similar to that of this yellow matter, but much 

 more penetrating, narcotic, and very acrid in the throat. It was 

 not easy to determine the weight of this essential oil, although 

 it was in considerable quantity, because it is very volatile, 

 soluble in a great measure in water, and adhering to the sides 

 of the globular receiver. However, from the weight of what 

 they could collect, and by making an approximate estimate of 

 the rest, they imagined that the total amount of the oil was 

 4 grammes, or 2 per cent, of the yellow matttr employed ; and 

 as this yellow matter is contained in hop, in the proportion of 

 Jjr, it follows that the hop contains about 0.002 of essential 

 oil. 



The water, over which the oil floated, had the same flavour as 



