34 Analytical Essay on Asparagits. 
stances susceptible of being altered by heat: thus, after fro 
perly pounding some asparagus, I extracted the juice in thie 
ordinary manner, and passed it through fine linen with the 
intention of entirely separating the gross feculence. 
The juice in this state had an odour sufficiently strong, 
and as it were sourish ; it was of a dirty yellow, inclining a 
little to green. I filtered it to separate the feculence: this 
being well washed retained the smeli of asparagus, but more 
marked and more disagreeable; treated with boiling alcohel 
it was not entirely dissolved, and the residue, which had a 
grayish colour, presented itself under the form of light 
flakes, which, being collected with care, had the following 
characters: they were soft aud somewhat unctuous to the 
touch ; they acquired a horny consistency and much hard- 
‘ ness, and turned almost black by desiccation. During com 
bustion they gave out a smell like that of burnt horn; they 
diffused at the same time an oily smoke, and left a pretty 
compact coal. When submitted to distillation, they gave at 
first a yellowish phlegm of a milky consistence, afterwards 
carbonate of ammonia very abundantly, and towards the 
conclusion of the experiment a dark red oil in great quantity. 
When left for some days in contact with cold water, the 
flakes we have mentioned were decomposed, grew mouldy, 
and contracted a fetid odour. When boiled with distilled 
water they were not sensibly altered. 
The alkalis dissolve them entirely. Vinegar has also a 
marked action on this matter, which is insoluble in alcohol, 
especially if heat be employed. The,solution in the acetous 
acid yields a deposit: by saturation with an alkali a great 
quantity of flakes are obtained similar to the former, if we 
except the colour, which becomes less intense. I am far 
from venturing to pronounce on the. nature of this sub- 
stance; and the few experiments I have been able to make 
from the small quantity of the matter I obtained, have only 
authorized me to consider it as very much animalized, and 
to believe that probably it contributes very much to the dis- 
agreeable odour which asparagus communicates to the urine 
of those who make use of it. 
The alcohol which had been boiled upon the green fecu- 
lent 
