ALBUMEN. 335 



spheric air being not excluded, it gradually dissolves, forming a non- 

 gelatinising fluid which contains Mulder's* teroxide of protein. 

 Finally, albumen when treated with strong oxidising agents, as for 

 instance, chromate of potash and sulphuric acid, or binoxide of 

 manganese and sulphuric acid, yields more acetic acid, benzoic acid, 

 and hydride of benzoyl, and less valerianic acid, than the other 

 protein-compounds. 



Composition. Albumen, after being coagulated and extracted 

 with water, alcohol, and ether, has been so repeatedly analysed, that 

 we shall rest satisfied with giving the mean results of five analyses 

 made by Scherer,f and subjoining an analysis recently made by 

 Mulder,J and regarded by him as the most exact. 



Scherer. Mulder. Ruling. 



Carbon .... 54*883 .... 53'5 .... 53'4 



Hydrogen .... 7*035 .... 7'0 .... 7*0 



Nitrogen .... 15'675 .... 15'5 



Oxygen \ 22'0 



Sulphur I 22-365 .... T6 



Phosphorus J 0'4 



100-000 100-0 



Riiling found in the albumen of the blood-serum (after sub- 

 tracting the ash, in accordance with the mean of several experi- 

 ments) 1-3255. of sulphur, and in that of hens' eggs, 1'748, 

 while Mulder found on an average only l'3% in the former, and 

 1'6# in the latter. Albumen always retains chloride of sodium 

 with so much tenacity, that it is almost impossible to separate it 

 by washing. The quantity of phosphate of lime which it contains 

 is very remarkable, for, although variable, it usually amounts to 

 about I'6%. Mulder found from its combination with oxide of 

 lead that the atomic weight of albumen is 2 2483 '9, while from 

 the oxide of silver compound he calculated it at 22190-2. For 

 the reasons already advanced, (at p. 324) we are as yet unable to 

 establish an empirical formula for albumen ; but Mulder calculates, 

 according to the above hypothesis, that the albumen of eggs is 

 composed of 96'2 of protein, 3'2 of.sulphamide, and 0'6 of 

 phosphamide; and deduces from these numbers the very hypo- 

 thetical formula, 20(C 36 H 25 N 4 O 10 .2HO) + 8H 2 NS + H 2 NP. 



* Ann. d. Ch. u. Pharm. Bd. 47, S. 300, and Bullet, de Ne^rlande, 1839, 

 p. 404. 



t Ann. d. Ch. u. Pharm. Bd. 40, S. 36. 



| Scheik. Onderz. D. 3, p. 385. 



Ann. d. Ch. u. Pharm. Bd. 58, S. 310. 



