74 HISTORY OF GEINE. 



prevalent, but from his own researches, erected it 

 into a distinct vegetable principle under the name of 

 ulmin, from ulmus, the Latin for elm. He con- 

 founded under this name, the several products notic- 

 ed by Berzelius, in bark ; and hence, thinks there 

 are several varieties of this substance, though Ber- 

 zelius does not countenance this idea. Thomson 

 was the first who ever procured ulmin pure, but this 

 w r as not the elm mucilage, but the extractive matter, 

 and he thus gave the name ulmin, to the apotheme , 

 of Berzelius. 



Not long after this name had become the property 

 of chemists, Braconnot found, in experimenting on 

 the action of alkali, on woody fibre, that a substance 

 was produced analogous to elm gum and the varie- 

 ties of ulmin, and in 1830, Boullay noticed that 

 ulmin had acid properties, and gave to it the name 



Of ULMIC ACID. 



The properties and relations of ulmin and of ul- 

 mic acid, now engaged the attention of many expert 

 chemists. It was found to be the product of a great 

 many vegetable decompositions by various agents, 

 by alkali, by acids, earths, oxides, by fire, by water. 

 All these hasten the process of decay. As a general 

 law, it may be stated that all substances oxidating, 

 and gently acting on organic matter, produce ulmin. 



