GLUTEN. 387 



cult to pulverise; when moist it is adhesive, viscid,, and elastic; it 

 is insoluble in cold, and very slightly soluble in hot water ; it dis- 

 solves readily in boiling alcohol, from which water again precipi- 

 tates it ; it is also precipitated from its alcoholic solution by corro- 

 sive sublimate and acetate of lead ; it dissolves imperfectly in acetic 

 acid, and hence does not seem to be a perfectly pure protein- 

 compound. In other respects it has all the properties of the pro- 

 tein-compounds. 



Composition. Gluten from several sources has been submitted 

 to analysis ; but here, as in the case of all the protein-compounds, 

 no satisfactory formula has been calculated. 



The following are the results of some of the analyses of this 

 body: 



Scherer.* Jones.f Heldt.J Mulder. 



Carbon 54'6 .... 55'22 .... 5626 .... 54-84 



Hydrogen .... 74 .... 7'42 .... 7'97 .... 7'05 



Nitrogen 15'8 .... 15'98 .... 15'83 .... 15'71 



X /f n ) .... 22-2 .... 21-38 .... 19-94 { 21 ' 8 

 Sulphur ) (0-60 



100-0 100-00 100-00 100-00 



The sulphur in gluten has been accurately determined by 

 Riilingll and Verdeil ;^[ the former found 1*134^ in wheat-gluten 

 and the latter 0'985^ in rye-gluten. 



It is obvious that the numbers yielded by the above analyses 

 differ too widely to admit of our attempting to calculate a trust- 

 worthy formula. 



Preparation. As this body especially occurs in the seeds of the 

 cereals, the best method of obtaining it is by sufficiently knead- 

 ing their flour under water, boiling the residue with alcohol in 

 order to effect a perfect removal of the starch, and filtering while 

 hot ; on cooling and evaporating the solution, it is precipitated in 

 white flocculi. 



LEGUMIN. 



Properties. This body forms either a white, nacreous, iridescent 

 precipitate, or else is thrown down in a flocculent form ; when dry, it 



* Ann. d. Ch. u. Pharm. Bd. 40, S. 7. 



f Ibid. S. 65-70. 



J Ibid. Bd. 45, S. 191. 



Versuch einer allg. phys. Ch. 1844. S. 308. 



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



IF Ibid. 8. 318. 



2 C 2 



