On the Che77iical Nalnro of Blighted Corn. 34/ 



"By wasbino- the pure Wts:ht with boiling distilled water, 

 without treating it with alcohol, the rH]uor became sensibly 

 acid, and when saturated with p<nash yielded a precipitate 

 of an animal matter mixed with phosphate of amu;onia and 

 magnesia, at the same time exhibiting every mark of the 

 presence of an alkaline phosphate. ThuT; have these expe- 

 riments confirmed the opinion that phosphoric acid exists 

 uncombined in blight ; for we have a sufficient proof of 

 this in its fixity, Its insolubility in alcohol, its solubility 

 in water, and its precipitation by lime water, &c. 



The water held in solution, after the acid liad been pre- 

 cipitated by potash, a foetid animal matter, altogether si- 

 milar in its colour, odour, and in the phasnomena of its 

 precipitation by different re-agents, to that which is found 

 in water where the gluten of ilour has been left to putrefy. 



After the successive action of the alcohol and water, the 

 blight of wheat still retained its foetid odour and greasy feel. 

 When distilled with a naked fire, it yielded one-third of its 

 weight of water containing acidulous acetate of ammonia; 

 nearlv one-third of a dark brov.n concrete oil, very similar 

 to adipccere in its form, consistence, and easy fusibility ; 

 also 0-23 of a charcoal, which left, by incineration, a white 

 cinder weighing one-hundredth part of the original quan- 

 tity of blight, and consisting of three-fourths phosphate of 

 magnesia and one-fourth phosphate of lime. 



We examined blltiht \^'itllout removing the husk, and 

 found that this had no influence in varying the ultimate re- 

 sult of the analysis. 



We would conclude, from the examination which we 

 have just detailed, that the blight of w heat contains, 



1. A green oil, having the consistence of butter, foetid 

 and acrid, soluble in heated alcohol and ether; forming 

 nearly a third of the weight of the blight, and communi- 

 cating to it its greasy feel. 



2. A vctrcto-'animal mr.ttcr soluble in water, insoluble in 

 alcohol, and precipitating the greater number of the me- 

 tallic salts as well as nut-galls. It forms rather less thai', a 

 fourth part of the blight, and resembles completely the sub- 

 stance which is produced by the putrefaction of gluten. 



3. A charcoal, amounting to a fifth part, which gives a 

 black colour to the whole mass, and is at once the proof 

 .and the effect of a putrefactive dcrompo:-itiou; as it is also 

 iu garden mould, and indued in the remains of all putrefied 

 organic compounds. 



4. Phosphoric acid in a free state, forming only 0004 of 



the 



