2 36 PIGMENTS 



amount of enz}me is comparatively large. Urtica, Avena, 

 ordinary grasses, Sambucw;, Platanus, Aspidmni, Equisetum, 

 and Taxus may be conveniently employed for demonstrating 

 the effect of the enzyme by leaving the tissues in contact with 

 an alcoholic extract of amorphous chlorophyll ; practically all 

 the phytol is thereby removed. 



The enzyme is also able to effect the synthesis of phytyl 

 chlorophyllide (amorphous chlorophyll) from chlorophyllide 

 and phytol. 



The constitution of this alcohol phytol has been studied by 

 Willstatter, Meyer, and Hiini,* who find it to be unsaturated 

 and have provisionally assigned it the formula 



CH3— CH— CH— CH— CH— CH— CH— CH— C = C— CH„OH 



I i I I ! I I I I 



CH, CH3 CH3 CH, CH. CH3 CH3 CH3CH, 



RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHLOROPHYLL AND 

 HAEMOGLOBIN. 



With a view to the further elucidation of the constitution 

 of the chlorophyll molecule, especially in regard to the com- 

 plex to which the carboxyl groups are attached, the oxidation 

 of the porphyrins by means of chromic acid in the presence 

 of sulphuric acid has been studied by Marchlewski j- and by 

 Willstatter and Asahina.t These investigations point to the 



C-C 

 existence of the grouping | ')N in the molecule, since 



C— C^ 

 the two chief oxidation products are found to be pyrrole 

 derivatives of the formulae — 



CH3 . C— C0\ CH, . C— C0\ 



11 )NH II >NH 



COOH . CH2 . CH2 . C— CO/ CH3 . CH^ . C— CO/ 



Haematmic acid imide Methylethylmaleinimide 



The former substance, which is the imide of a tricarboxylic 

 acid known as haematinic acid, of the formula — 



CH3 . c— COOH 

 II 

 COOH . CH2 . CHj . C— COOH 



* Willstatter, Meyer, and Huni : " Anna) en," 1910, 387, 73. 

 t Marchlewski : " Chem. Zentralbl.," 1902, i, 1017. 

 J Willstatter and Asahina: " Annalen," 1910, 373, 227. 



