INFLUENCED BY RADIUM. CREIGHTON. 45 



Since solutions of glucosides are readily changed into glucose 

 by hydrochloric acid, even in the cold, it was believed that 

 if a solution of amygdalin were bombarded with radium radia- 

 tons, this transformation might be accelerated. 



The solutions of amygdalin used for this purpose had a con- 

 centration of ten grains per litre; the hydrochloric acid con- 

 sisted of one volume of acid (sp. g. 1.2) to five volumes of water. 

 The proportion of amygdalin to acid solution was ten to one. 



The amount of decomposition was determined bv titrating 

 the glucose that was produced, with Pavy's solution, 25 cc. of 

 which =0.0151 gram of glucose C H 7 . 



To determine whether the radium exerted any influence on 

 the hydrolysis of amygdalin, the radium was placed over a vessel 

 containing the acid solution of amygdalin, of the concentration 

 mentioned above, and allowed to bombard the solution for a 

 certain time; at the end of that time the amount of decom- 

 position was compared with that of a similar solution that had 

 not been acted on by radium. The vessels used to contain the 

 solutions were ordinary wide-mouthed reagent bottles with a 

 capacity of 125 cc. The tube containing the radium was 

 securely fixed in a wooden block, which loosely fitted over the 

 mouth of one of the bottles. Thus, by filling the bottle to a 

 definite mark, the distance between the radium and the surface 

 of the liquid was always kept the same. This distance was 

 between two and three millimetres, 



The following experiments were carried out in a photo- 

 graphic dark room, so that there was no chance of the reaction 

 being influenced by light. The solution which was not to be 

 acted on by radium was protected from the rays by a screen of 

 lead, so placed that, the solution would not be affected, appre- 

 ciably by the secondary rays set up in the lead. 



Several experiments were carried out in this way, and the 

 amount of glucose formed was estimated after different lengths 

 of time. In the following table the numbers given in column two 



