1895.] The Crystallization of Cellulose. 19 
mixture of true cellulose and another carbohydrate which 
Gilson proposes to call paramannane. The formula of the 
latter as he determined by several analyses is (C,, H,,O,,)» 
The paramannane thus obtained was in the form of a white 
powder of small spherocrystals, which dissolves in Schwei- 
zer’s fluid as we have seen, and also in H,SO,, in the cold 
when concentrated, but when dilute only by heating, and then 
it turns to mannose. Gilson does not state whether paraman- 
nane turns blue on the addition of iodine reagents. 
The results of his chemical work are: (1) Cellulose is a 
single chemical individual. (2) Mannosocellulose is a mix- 
ture of cellulose and paramannane. (3) The so-called re- 
serve-cellulose is probably also a mixture of cellulose and 
some other carbohydrate or carbohydrates. 
Additional investigation. 
At the suggestion of Dr. J. P. Lotsy I repeated much of 
Gilson’s work as given in the first part of his paper, in the 
laboratory of the Johns Hopkins University, at Baltimore. 
_T obtained a considerable number of the green plants men- 
tioned by Gilson. From these in every case where good ma- 
terial was at hand the so-called crystals were readily obtained. 
Beta vulgaris gave very fine crystals after three hours or less 
in Schweizer’s fluid, but a longer time was needed to dissolve 
all of the cellulose out of the cell wall. 
mong others dahlia, lactuca, typha, ceratozamia, equise- 
tum, and chara gave especially good results. 
As to the diffusibility of the dissolved cellulose, I found that 
after keeping sections of the beet in Schweizer’s fluid for 
pei days, the crystals were as plentiful in the cells as at 
rst. 
The solution then resembles in diffustbility rather non- 
crystalline colloidal substances than crystalline ones. 
is together with the appearance of the bodies themselves 
in some cases, led me to think that the things which Gilson 
called crystals were not really such. I therefore made sev- 
cral sets of preparations in which there were plenty of the 
bodies present, and examined them carefully under the 
Polariscope. Jn no case did they have any effect on polarized 
1ght, showing thus that they were not true crystals. 
J was gratified, though greatly surprised, to find later, that 
Gilson, after calling the bodies crystals all through his paper 
