24 



the clilorin gas must reach to the bottom of the beaker. The moist 

 fiber, under the action of the chlorin, changes in color to a golden 

 yellow as the process of absorption of chlorin gas goes on. The 

 chlorination should last for at least an hour. The chlorinated fiber is 

 removed, washed two or three times with water to remove excess of 

 hydrochloric acid, and placed in a 2 per cent solution of sodium or 

 potassium sulphite. The mixture is gradually brought to the boiling 

 point, a small quantity of 0.2 per cent caustic soda solution added, 

 and the boiling continued for five minutes. This separation, as a 

 rule, is sufficient to dissolve all of the lignone bodies present, and 

 leaves a mixture of cellulose which consists of two kinds, known as a 

 and ft. The cellulose is obtained in a pure state by washing with hot 

 water on a cloth filter. It is also bleached by immersion in a 0.1 per 

 cent solution of sodium hypochlorite and afterwards treated with a 0.1 

 per cent solution of potassium permanganate. It is thoroughly washed 

 free of these oxidizing solutions and finally bleached with sulphurous 

 acid on the filter, well washed with water, pressed, dried, and weighed. 

 The quantities of cellulose obtained on the dry substance by this 

 method were as follows : 



Content of cellulose. 



SUMMARY OF ANALYSES. 



Summing up the results of the investigations, in so far as they have 

 been made, it is seen that the material examined consists of several 

 different kinds of matter. It contains a small quantity of mineral 

 matter, of ash, of proteid matter, and of matter soluble in ether, but 

 is chiefly composed of carbohydrate material. This material is of 

 various kinds. A part of it will yield by hydrolysis with an acid a 

 small quantity of dextrose capable of fermentation. A larger part, 

 on hydrolysis, is converted into a pentose sugar, presumably xylose, 

 incapable of fermentation, but capable of reducing an alkaline copper 

 solution. Another quantity, perhaps larger than that just mentioned, 

 passes into solution under the influence of hydrolyzing agents, bat 

 does not seem to produce a sugar capable of reducing alkaline copper 

 solution. The largest portion of carbohydrate matter consists of 

 cellulose of two varieties, which may be designated as a and ft. 

 Both of these celluloses are insoluble in chlorin, but the ft cellulose 

 may be dissolved in dilute nitric acid. The bodies which are capable 

 of yielding furfurol consist largely of xylan and allied pentosan sub- 

 stances. There is, however, as the data have shown, a considerable 



