Germination and Fermentation of Grains, &c. 177 



rine; evaporated further, it is of a golden yellow, saccha- 

 rine, acid and bitter, and becomes as thick as a. strong so- 

 lution of gurn. In this second evaporation it forms on its 

 surface a slender flexible pellicle of yellowish flakes ; it de-. 

 posits upon the vessel containing it, a white hard crust of 

 phosphate of lime. 



When thus thickened, the liquor is not disturbed by wa- 

 ter; it is precipitated by the alkalis in a small quantity; abun- 

 dantly by gall-nuts, by oxalate of ammonia, and by the acids- 

 Alcohol coagulates it into a white, gluey, membranous, glu- 

 tiniform substance, which, being evaporated, leaves a little 

 deep yellow saccharo-acid matter. 



The substance precipitated by alcohol is at first white and 

 dry, softens and changes to brown on losing the alcohol ; it 

 then becomes semi-transparent, mild, and nauseous ; at last 

 it dries in the air, and is hard, brittle, and transparent, like 

 strong size ; when burning it bubbles up with a white and 

 fetid smoke, and leaves plenty of charcoal. 



It results from these experiments, that cold water makes 

 of the farina of wheat a frothy substance precipitable by acids 

 and sail-nuts, and which also sours, dissolves then more abun- 

 dantly, and dissolves at the same time more of the phosphate 

 of lime: it is analogous to gluten. It is united to a little 

 mucilao-e, with a very small quantity of saccharine matter. 



§ II. Analysis of the Gluten of Wheat. 



Fresh gluten, well washed and very pure, macerated a 

 long time in a little distilled water, renders it opake, leaving 

 in it a substance minutely suspended, which does not sepa- 

 rate from it : repeated filtrations clarify it. The clear water 

 is frothy; by infusion of galls it precipitates yellow flakes; 

 by oxymuriatic acid it precipitates white flakes. Thus the 

 gluten of wheat is soluble in cold water. 



This solution when heated becomes muddy, deposits yel- 

 lowish flakes, and retains them in spite of long ebullition. 



The gluten placed in the oxymuriatic acid becomes soft 

 quickly, seems to dissolve, and afterwards coagulate into yel- 

 lowish white flakes, which become transparent and greenish 

 upon drying; placed upon burning charcoal it crackles, ex- 



Vol. 25. No- 98. July 1806. M haling 



