CHAP. III.] ASPARTIC ACID. 251 



Aspartie >acid : C 4 H 7 N0 4 . 

 (Amido-succinic acid, C 2 H 3 (NH 2 ) (CO . OH) 2 .) 



Occurrence Aspartie acid was found by Ritthausen and 



Kreusler 1 , together with glutamic acid and leucine, 



as a constant product, amongst the substances resulting from the 



decomposition of vegetable albuminous substances when these are 



boiled with dilute sulphuric acid. 



H. Hlasiwetz and J. Habermann 2 , in their first great research on 

 the products of decomposition of the proteids, shewed that aspartic 

 acid likewise results from the splitting-up of animal albuminous 

 substances, under the influence of bromine. From 100 parts of dry 

 egg albumin they obtained 23'8 parts of aspartic acid. 



In their second investigation, Hlasiwetz and Habermann 3 em- 

 ployed hydrochloric acid and stannous chloride as decomposing 

 .agents, and again obtained aspartic acid among the products. 



It was Radziejewski and Salkowski 4 who first discovered aspartic 

 acid amongst the products of the pancreatic digestion of fibrin. 

 V. Knieriem afterwards obtained it together with leucine and tyrosine 

 amongst the products of the pancreatic digestion of the gluten of 

 wheat 5 . * 



Method of Aspartic acid is found in the mother liquors from 

 separation and w hi c h leucine and tyrosine have crystallised out. These 

 identification. -, c ,, J j , j -.1 vi^i 



may be further concentrated, or treated with a little 



alcohol, when after some time new crystalline crusts will separate. 

 These should be dissolved in water, and the solution boiled with 

 freshly precipitated cupric hydrate. On filtering, the blue solution 

 will deposit the Cu-compound of aspartic acid, which has the compo- 

 sition CJ3 5 CuNO 4 . 4^H a O ; this body occurs in light blue needles. 

 It should be dissolved in HC1, and decomposed by means of H 2 S, 

 when white crystalline platelets of aspartic acid will separate out. 

 The crystalline copper composed should again be formed, the amount 

 of copper determined, and, if possible, an elementary analysis made. 

 The compound of aspartic acid with copper contains 23*02 per cent. 

 ofCu. 



1 H. Ritthausen und U. Kreusler, ' Verbreitung der Asparaginsaure und Glutamin- 

 saure unter den Zersetzungs-producten der Proteinstoffe,' Journ. f. prakt. Chem. in. 

 (1871), p. 314. 



2 H. Hlasiwetz and J. Habermann, 'Ueber die Proteinstoffe/ Annalen der Chemie, 

 Vol. CLIX. (1871), pp. 304333. 



3 Hlasiwetz and Habermann, ' Ueber die Proteinstoffe II.' Annalen d. Chem. &c. 

 Vol. CLXIX. (1873), p. 150. 



4 S. Radziejewski and E. Salkowski, 'Bildung von Asparaginsaure bei der Pancreas- 

 Verdauung,' Ber. d. d. chem. Gesellschaft, Vol. vn. p. 1050. 



5 W. v. Knieriem, 'Asparaginsaure ein Product der kiinstlichen Verdauung von 

 Kleber durch die Pancreas-Druse,' Zeitschriftf. Biologic, Vol. xi. (1875), 198. 



