t 75 3 



4. Albumen is a substance which has only lately 

 been discovered in the vegetable kingdom. It abounds 

 in the juice of the papaw-tree (Carica papaya) : when 

 this juice is boiled the albumen falls down in a coagu- 

 lated state. It is likewise found in mushrooms, and 

 in different species of funguses. 



Albumen in its pure form, is a thick, glairy, taste- 

 less fluid ; precisely the same as the white of the egg ; it 

 is soluble in cold water ; its solution, when not too di- 

 luted, is coagulated by boiling, and the albumen separ- 

 ates in the form of thin flakes. Albumen is likewise 

 coagulated by acids and by alcohol : a solution of al- 

 bumen gives a precipitate when mixed with a cold 

 solution of nut-galls. Albumen when burnt produces 

 a smell of volatile alkali, and affords carbonic acid and 

 water ; it is therefore evidently principally composed 

 of carbon, hydrogene, oxygene, and azote. 



According to the experiments of Gay Lussac and 

 Thenard, 100 parts of albumen from the white of the 

 egg are composed of 



Carbon - .. 52,883 



Oxygene - 23,872 



Hydrogene * 7,54O 



Azote - 15,705 



This estimation would authorise the supposition, 

 that albumen is composed of 2 proportions of azote, 

 5 oxygene, 9 carbon, 22 hydrogene. 



The principal part of the almond, and of the 

 kernels of many other nuts, appears from the experi- 

 ments of Proust, to be a substance analogous to co- 

 agulated albumen. 



