Analytical Essay on Asparagus. i17 
to the phosphate of lead. It is thus demonstrated, that if 
this acid had presented, in its principle, differences from 
phosphoric acid, it must have happened from its holding in 
solution an animal matter, and which I belicve to be the 
same with that which this matter contains in the green fe-: 
culence: at least, I dissolved a portion of the latter in pare 
phosphoric acid, I evaporated it so as to burn the animal 
substance, and there was developed an odour very similar to 
that which the phesphoric acid of asparagus yields. 
In was in that portion of the extract that was insoluble im 
alcohol that I ought to have found, according to M. An-: 
toine, this animal matter, which he has recognised for ge- 
Jatine. Distilled water, as I have shown, entirely redissolved 
this extractive substance; and although it had been washed 
repeatedly with alcohol and dissolved in water, it reddened: 
very sensibly turusole paper. 
I believed it possible that the precipitate formed by infu- 
sion of galls was occasioned by an animal substance held in 
solution by means of this free acid; consequently I poured 
into the liquor ammonia till it was saturated. There was a 
very abundant flaky precipitate, which I separated by the 
filter and washed very carefully. The solution, united with 
the washings, did not give any more precipitate with gall- 
nut; and the acetate of lead, as well as the oxygenated mu- 
riatic acid, did not produce any change. 
T burnt a part of the precipitate formed by ammonia to 
have some notion of its nature; but in place of presenting 
the characters of an animal or vegeto-animal matter, as L 
suspected it to be, it burnt without swelling, and left for 
residue a grayish powder, which I ascertained to be a calca- 
reous salt. This experiment showed me, that if the liquor 
had ceased to precipitate by gall-nut, &c. this would have 
depended merely on the degree of concentration. I there- 
fore evaporated it; and after having reduced it to three- 
fourths of its volume, I still obtained precipitates by the 
acetate of lead, the oxygenated muriatic acid, and gall-nut. 
I continued the evaporation till I obtained a dry extract : 
it was of a dark brown colour, had an agreeable taste, a 
little saltish, and slizhtly attracted the humidity of the at- 
H 3 mosphere. 
