of Grains and Farinacecms Sitlstances. 221 



milky; the alkalis render it clear by making it yellow; 

 the acids, vrhich clear it at first, put into it afterwards 

 in excess, precipitate it strongly. This seems to indicate 

 that the liquor owes its limpidity to the alkali which absorbs 

 the acid, either spontaneous or added. 



The infusion grows frothy and coagulates at a boiling 

 heat; when filtered, it precipitates, but less abundantly, by 

 the re-agents indicated. 



Upon inclosing, at a low temperature, this infusion, al- 

 ready troubled, in two flasks, the one filled and the other three- 

 fourths empty, with Woolf 's tubes, we saw it become clear, 

 and deposit white flakes after some hours. We did not ob- 

 serve, after a few days, any apparent change of the liquor, 

 disengagement of gas, or absorption of air; the water was 

 acescent, and the air above it contained a little carbonic acid 

 gas. 



Lime hindered the spontaneous precipitation of the infu- 

 sion until it was saturated by its fermented acid. 



Fifteen parts of alcohol, digested several times upon the 

 coarser farina of lentils, was coloured a greenish yellow, and 

 acquired a bitter and sharp taste. When distilled, the pro- 

 duce yielded a very strong smell of vanilla, which water 

 caused to disappear by changing it into another very dis- 

 agreeable. The residue of this distillation is yellowish green; 

 a thick green oil floats at the surface ; the liquor is thick and 

 gluev, of a saponaceous smell, and of a rancid taste; the 

 acids and lime water coagulate it like a water of soap. 

 Sulphuric acid, by decomposing it, collects on its surface a 

 rancid greenish oil of the smell of pbpuleion : upon evapo- 

 rating the water a black residue is obtained of a saline ap- 

 pearance, but in such a small quantity that we could not 

 determine the nature of it. 



Whole lentils, macerated in double their weight of water, 

 yield, after twenty-four hours, a greenish yellow infusion 

 of an astringent taste. Water precipitates a strong size, 

 sulphate of iron a fine blue, and acetate of lead a yellow- 

 ish white, without reddening the blue colours : lentils, strip- 

 ped of their skin, afford no traces of tannin, which seem 

 only to belong to this envelope. 



When 



