146 Investigations on the Life-History 



In the ovaries the amount of phosphorus as inorganic phosphates is 

 very small. The amount as lecithin nearly equals the amount as 

 nucleins, or pseudo-nucleins, and in these two together the proportion 

 is about four times that in the inorganic phosphates. 



2. Nature of Organic Phosphorus Compounds. The ripe ovary of a 

 November salmon was passed through the mincer to break up the ova, 

 and strained through muslin. The viscous brown-yellow fluid was then 

 diluted to three times its volume with solution of chloride of sodium, 

 and repeatedly extracted with ether. 



A. ETHER EXTRACT. 



On evaporation, this separated into (I.) a rich orange-red solution ; 

 (II.) a copious white gelatinous precipitate. 



I. The orange-red solution, on standing, threw down fine needle-like 

 crystals readily redissolved on heating. The ether was distilled off and 

 the residue dried at 100 C. 



a. Of this 3-042 grm. were saponified by Kossel and Obermiiller's 

 method and the fatty acids extracted. These weighed 2-929 grm., i.e., 

 92 - 8 per cent, of the ether extract. 



b. In 2-066 grm. the presence or absence of phosphorus was 

 determined in the usual way. There was no precipitate with the 

 ammonia-magnesia mixture, so lecithin is absent. 



c. 4-903 grm. were saponified and the cholesterin determined in the 

 ether filtrate. 



Cholesterin = 0-012 grm. 



= 0'24 per cent, of the ether extract. 



The clear ether extract consists almost entirely of ordinary fats with a 

 little cholesterin and some lipochromes. 



II. The White Precipitate from the Ether Extract. This separated out 

 as the ether evaporated, and was only redissolved with difficulty in a 

 large excess of ether. A small quantity was dried at 110C. It 

 weighed 1-225 grm. In this phosphorus was determined in the usual 

 way. 



Magnesium Phosphate = 0'103 grm. 



= 0-0287 grm. Phosphorus. 

 = 2-3 per cent, of Phosphorus. 



Lecithin contains about 4 per cent. The white precipitate seems to be 

 largely composed of lecithin. 



Thus, by simple extraction with ether, a large quantity of fats, 

 lecithin, some cholesterin, and pigment are removed from the ovarian 

 fluid. 



B. PROTEID OF OVARY. 



The fluid left, after extraction with ether, had a dirty brown colour, 

 and was somewhat viscous. 



On pouring it into water a stringy white precipitate with the proteid 

 reactions at once fell. This was washed with water and redissolved 

 in salt solution. 



1. Lecithin is combined with the Proteid. 



A quantity of the proteid precipitated with alcohol was repeatedly 

 extracted with boiling absolute alcohol, and the extract filtered hot and 

 evaporated to dryness. A brownish sticky residue resulted. This was 

 dried at 100 C., and weighed 0-248 grm. In this the phosphorus 

 was determined in the usual way. 



