Berthelot on Melitose, Eucalyne, and Finite. 373 



The fatty matters contained in the seeds are neutral. When 

 the seeds and various oleaginous kernel fruits are reduced to a 

 state of minute division, by which the cells are destroyed, and the 

 substances composing them put in intimate contact, the neutral 

 fatty matters contained in them are changed into a fatty acid and 

 glycerine. In this case a similar change is eflfected to that ob- 

 served when the cells of the apple or grape, which isolate the 

 ferment, are destroyed by being crushed ; the sugar contained in 

 them, acted upon by the ferment set free, is split up into alcohol 

 and carbonic acid. M. Pelouze ascertained by direct experiments, 

 that the fatty matters, as originally contained in the seeds, are 

 neutral, there being only traces of fatty acids present. His 

 mode of experimenting was to enclose seeds and grains of many 

 different kinds in vessels which effectually excluded the air. 

 From time to time he opened these, and determined the amount 

 of fatty acid liberated. He found that the quantity varied 

 directly as the time. The different kinds of neutral fatty oils 

 varied very much in the rapidity with which they were decom- 

 posed ; and this decomposition differs not only with the tempe- 

 rature, but with the quantities operated upon. He attempted, 

 but without success, to isolate the ferment, by which he supposes 

 that the decomposition is effected. In the course of his investi- 

 gations he found that the sugar contained in nuts, almonds, &c., 

 is identical with cane-sugar. 



In the Australian Manna (which exudes from a species of 

 Eucalyptus) Berthelot has found a crystalline saccharine matter 

 which he names Melitose. The crystallized preparation has the 

 formula C^^ H^^ 024 + 4H0, and when dried at 100° C. it loses 

 the 4 equivs. of water. Its aqueous solution deviates to the right 

 the plane of polarization ; by the addition of sulphuric acid this 

 power is diminished by about one-third. Its behaviour with 

 reagents is almost exactly that of cane-sugar. 



But when caused to ferment, by the addition of yeast, it ex- 

 hibits a striking peculiarity. While 100 parts of grape-sugar 

 give, on fermentation, 22'2 parts of carbonic acid, the same 

 quantity of melitose, which is isomeric with it, gives 44*5 parts. 



When melitose was treated with SO^, an uncrystallizable 

 saccharine matter was produced. This comports itself exactly 

 as melitose, and produces, like it, on fermentation, exactly half 

 the quantity of carbonic acid which an equal weight of grape- 

 sugar would produce. 



On examining the solutions of melitose after fermentation, 

 they were found to contain a peculiar saccharine principle which 

 Berthelot has named eucali/ne : its quantity was found equal to 

 half that of the melitose employed. It deviates the plane of 



