SYNTHETIC WORK IN CARBOHYDRATES 343 



These simple compounds are analogous to the more com- 

 plex ones, and are of interest for their bearing on the natural 

 glucosides. There is no essential difference between the sim- 

 ple synthetical glucosides and the more complicated carbo- 

 hydrates like cane sugar. Indeed, the latter should be con- 

 sidered as the glucosides of sugar. 



The list of natural glucosides is a long one. A summary 

 of their particular occurrence and properties is unnecessary 

 here. But a glucoside, for example, like either saponin or 

 phlorizin, illustrates the fact that compounds of a like com- 

 position are found in closely related botanical families. Plants 

 in which saponin occurs are nearly related in regard to their 

 stage of evolution, and so with phlorizin-containing plants. 

 Phlorizin, when isolated from the bark of the apple, cherry, 

 or plum tree, or from other plants belonging to the order Po- 

 maceae, is a crystalline substance of a white color when quite 

 pure. Like all glucosides, it is decomposed by dilute acid into 

 glucose and a second product. In this case the second pro- 

 duct is phloretin. 



From experiments on animals, phlorizin, when taken into 

 the body, produces a condition which results in diabetes. 

 The amount of sugar excreted from the system after inges- 

 tion is far in excess of what could be produced from the gly- 

 cogen of the liver, nor would the amount of glucose in the glu- 

 cosides explain the large quantity of sugar excreted. But, in 

 fact, according to Cremer, the phlorizin passes through the 

 system unchanged, and the sugar which arises is from the 

 proteids of the body. 



The very latest trend of investigation is to show that the 

 configuration of a compound has its place in the explanation 

 of the functions of an organism. Also, the reasons for the fer- 

 mentation of certain compounds are to be found in stereo- 

 chemical considerations. 



It is stated in a recent publication that the most ordinary 

 functions of a living being depend more upon the molecular 

 geometry than upon the composition of the food material. 

 It is well known that the fermentation processes are brought 

 about by minute organisms, and it is supposed that the geo- 



