CHAPTER III 



ON THE SYNTHESIS OF ALBUMINS 



IF the biuret-reaction is the most characteristic test for albumins, 

 then we must regard Schaal 1 as having been the first to prepare 

 without knowing it, however a synthetic compound resembling 

 albumin, when he condensed aspartic-acid chloride in a stream of CO 2 

 at 200 into what Schiff 2 has subsequently called polyaspartic acids, 

 (the octo-aspartic acid is described on p. 147). Grimaux then showed 

 in 1882 3 that Schaal's compounds give the biuret-reaction as do also 

 compounds he prepared himself by melting asparagin and urea to- 

 gether. The new substances formed by this last reaction were typically 

 colloidal in nature. 4 



While working at the synthesis of hippuric acid, according to 

 Desaignes' method, 5 Theodor Curtius found in 188 1 6 that benzoyl- 

 chloride acting on silver glycocollate produces hippuric acid, hippuryl- 

 amino-acetic acid [or benzoyl-glycyl-amino-acetic acid or benzoyl 

 glycylglycin], 7 and a y-acid. 



C 6 H 5 . CO . Cl + NH 2 . CH 2 . CO . OAg = 

 benzoyl chloride + silver - glycocollate : 

 (1) hippuric acid. 



C 6 H.CO NH. CH 2 COOH 

 (2) benzoyl-glycyl-amino-acetic acid. 



C 6 H 5 CO NH . CH 2 . CO NH . CH 2 . COOH 

 (3) benzoyl-pentaglycyl-amino acetic acid ; which is identical with 

 the y-acid. 



C 6 H 5 CO . (NHCH 2 CO) 5 . NHCH 2 . COOH 



1 Ed. Schaal, Liebig's Annalen, 157. 24 (1871). 



2 H. Schiff, Ann. d. Chem. 3O3. 183 (1898) and 307. 231 (1899). 



3 Ed. Grimaux, Bull. soc. chim. 38. 64 (1882). 



4 These references are quoted from Hofmeister's article in the Ergebnisse d. Physio- 

 logic I., 1, p. 790(1902). 



5 Desaignes, Jahresb. d. Chem. 1857, p. 367. 



6 Theodor Curtius, Journ. f. praM. Chem. [2] 24. 239 (1881). 



7 Fischer and Fourneau have given the term glycyl to the radical (NH 2 CH 2 CO). 

 Glycyl-glycin = 2 molecules of glycocoll or glycin minus one molecule of water. Ber. d. 

 deutsch. che/n. Ges. 34. 2868 (1901). 



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