28 INTRODUCTION. 



formic aldehyde radicle CH 2 is here repeatedly encountered, and 

 that these radicles are united by the group CH NH, which in 

 turn represents hydrocyanic acid plus one atom of hydrogen. 

 This, as we have just seen, results from the action of formic alde- 

 hyde on nitric acid. Through a union of such aldehyde groups 

 with hydrocyanic acid chains could then result of the composition : 

 H H II H 



= C NH C C C NH C C NH C C = NH, 

 OHOH OHOH 



in which through a process of hydration the first and last C NH 

 groups can be transformed into CO and COOH, according to the 

 equations : 



HCN + H 2 = CO + NH 3 and HCN + 2H 2 O = H.COOH + NH 3 . 



In the presence of nascent hydrogen, moreover, the aldehyde and 

 hydrocyanic acid groups would be transformed into the groups 

 H H 



C and C N , thus giving rise to the chains : 

 H H 



- CO CH 2 CH 2 CH.NH CH 2 CH 2 CH. NH CH 2 COOH. 



That hydrogen is actually available in the leaves for this purpose 

 we know, as during the formation of formic acid from its aldehyde 

 hydrogen is constantly being liberated. 



The formation of urea and oxamide, finally, the radicles of which, 

 as we shall see, are possibly present as such in the albuminous mole- 

 cule, could further be explained upon the basis just outlined, as we 

 know that both can be formed by hydration from hydrocyanic acid, 

 as is shown by the equation : 



2HCN + 2H 2 O = CO (NH 2 ) 2 -f CH 2 O. 



According to Gautier, then, these chains are further united to 

 tyrosin, so that 'the structural formula of albumins could be repre- 

 sented by the general formula: 



.COOH 

 C 2 H< 



OH 



H.' \ \ H 

 K, | R 



/ c C C 



H/ \ / X H 

 H C 



OH 

 in which R represents the chains in question. 



