GLUTEN AND ALBUMEN. ISS 



nin ; but the most distinguishing characteristic which it 

 possesses, is that of coagulating at a degree of heat indi- 

 cated by from 45° to 50° of the centigrade thermometer, 

 (equal to from 113° to 122° Fahr.) 



Proust, Clark,* Fourcroy, and Vauquelin have each 

 proved the existence of albumen in the juices and fruits of 

 most plants. 



The white of eggs consists of nothing but pure albu- 

 men : nearly all the different parts of animals contain dif- 

 ferent portions of it ; it is, however, most abundant in the 

 blood. 



Besides the property which albumen possesses of serv- 

 ing as food, it is employed for many purposes in the arts, 

 particularly for clarifying fluids ; when used for this, it is 

 diluted with water, and then mixed with the liquid which 

 is to be clarified ; the whole is then heated to 65° or 70° 

 Fahr., and stirred carefully so as to distribute the albumen 

 equally amongst all its particles ; by increasing the heat 

 the albumen is made to coagulate, when it rises to the top 

 of the vessel, carrying with it all the particles which render 

 the liquid turbid or cloudy ; the thick foam which this pro- 

 duces when cooled, may be taken off with a skimmer, and 

 the liquid be afterwards filtrated to remove any remaining 

 particles from it. 



The juice of the fruit of the Hibiscus Esculentus, (eat- 

 able hibiscus, Okra,) contains so great a quantity of albu- 

 fnen, that in St. Domingo it is employed in clarifying 

 liquors ; in Martinique and in Guadaloupe they make use 

 of the bark of the slippery elm for the same purpose. 



As albumen dries easily, and covers all bodies to which 

 it is applied in thin layers, with a smooth and shining var- 

 nish, it is used for giving lustre to paintings, wainscots, &c. 



The albumen of eggs mixed with quicklime finely pow- 

 dered and spread upon strips of linen, makes an excellent 

 lute, to be applied over the joints of vessels for distilling, 

 where it is necessary to avoid any loss of gas or vapor. 

 The white of eggs is preferred for such purposes, because 

 the albumen of it is more free from mixture than that of 

 any other substance. An analysis of the white of eggs 

 afforded to Messrs. Gay-Lussac and Thenard the following 

 results : 100 parts of the white of an egg contained 



Carbon 52.883 



Oxygen 23.872 



Hydrogen .... 7.540 

 Azote 15.705 



