152 FIBRIN. 



and at last there will remain in the linen nothing 

 but gluten. 



349. Gluten, when thus obtained, is a grayish 

 white, soft, solid substance, elastic and tough, and 

 almost resembling a piece of animal skin in appear- 

 ance ; it may be dried by carefully warming it, till 

 all the water which it contains is evaporated; and 

 when dry may be preserved for a long time without 

 its undergoing any change. By boiling gluten in 

 alcohol it is separated into three substances — pure 

 vegetable fibrin, an oil, and a tough glue-like sub- 

 stance called gliadine. Vegetable fibrin is insoluble 

 in water, soluble in dilute alkaline liquids, very prone 

 to decompose, and apparently identical with animal 

 fibrin in nature and composition. 



350. Albumen, fibrin, caseine, and gliadine, con- 

 tain nitrogen ; and all organic substances containing 

 nitrogen have a great tendency to putrefy. Albu- 

 men consists of — 



Carbon . . . . . . 5501 



Hydrogen 723 



Nitrogen 1592 



Oxygen with Phosphorus and Sulphur 2184 



10,000 



351. Vegetable fibrin consists of — 



Carbon . . . . . . . 5460 



Hydrogen 730 



Nitrogen 1581 



Oxygen with Phosphorus and Sulphur 2229 



10,000 



