136 



THE ROTARY PROPERTIES OF 



tures. The precipitation of the globulin by cooling was found 

 to be impracticable, even after excessive dilution of the nitrate 

 with water. The extracts were therefore submitted to dialysis 

 for a few days, yielding in every case a fair percentage of well- 

 crystallized globulin. The crystallized precipitate was col- 

 lected on a filter and washed successively with dilute alcohol, 

 absolute alcohol, and ether, and dried, after the ether had 

 evaporated, in a desiccator over sulphuric acid. The minute 

 crystals thus obtained were perfect isometric octahedra some- 

 what smaller than those obtained from the hemp-seed. 



The reactions of this globulin from flax-seed have been fully 

 given by Osborne,* and differ but little from those found for 

 the hemp-seed globulin. As the result of a number of in- 

 dependent analyses, he found the flax-seed globulin to have 

 the following composition : 



Carbon 61.48 



Hydrogen 6.94 



Nitrogen 18.60 



Sulphur 0.81 



Oxygen 22.17 



100.00 



It will be seen by comparison that the composition of this 

 proteid is almost identical with that of the globulin from hemp- 

 seed, which it also resembles, as stated, in its reactions, and in 

 the form of its crystals, except that none of the crystals, of 

 the flax-seed globulin are of a hexagonal form. Osborne, be- 

 cause of the similarity in their composition and behavior 

 toward reagents, considers these two globulins and also 

 those from the castor bean, cotton-seed, squash seed, and a 

 number of cereals as one and the same proteid body.f 

 This body he has named edestin, from its occurrence in so 

 many food-stuffs. 



0.7778 gram of the flax-seed globulin prepared by the 

 writer, dried at 110 C., yielded after ignition, a residue of 

 0.0075 gram of ash. This would give a percentage of ash 

 of 0.96 per cent. 



American Chemical Journal, vol. xiv, pp. 629, 681. 

 t Ibid., vol. xiv, p. 687, and vol. xv, p. 24. Also Rep. Conn. Agric. Exp. 

 Sta. for 1893, pp. 179, 216, and same for 1896, p. 172. 



