﻿32 



BOTANICAL GAZETTE 



[JANUARY 



by Effront seemed worthy of investigation, and accordingly the 

 following experiments were undertaken to ascertain the optimum 

 temperature for the inulase of Aspergillus iiiger. 



I. About l^"^ of a very active preparation of Aspergillus 

 powder was extracted for 24 hours in 50'''' of water containing 

 a little thymol. The extract was then filtered and added to a 

 solution of about i^"" of inulin and the mixture made up to 



150 



cc 



Of this solution 20^^ were added to each of seven test- 



tubes and two drops of toluol added to each tube. All the tubes 

 were corked and kept at the temperatures given below for five 

 hours, at the expiration of which period all were boiled and 15^"^ 

 from each tube analyzed for levulose with the results given below: 



Temperature, 



f 



Mgiiis. of levulose. 



10° 



37-2 



20° 



45-4 



30° 



59-6 



40° 



78.5 



.50° 



93-1 



60° 



108.7 



70' 



38.1 



IL One gram of Aspergillus powder was extracted for twenty- 

 four hours in 50'''' of water containing a little toluol. The extract 

 was then filtered and added to a solution of 1.7^"' inulin in lOO^"" 

 of water and the mixture then made up to 230'^^ Of this solution, 

 20^*^ were added to each of eight test-tubes and three drops of 

 toluol added to each tube. Number 8 was then boiled. They 

 were all corked and kept for seven hours at the temperatures 

 given below, at the expiration of which period all were boiled 

 and 1 5*^^ from each tube analyzed for levulose with the results 

 given below : 



1 



1 



No. 



Temperature 



1 



20° 



2 



30° 



3 



40° 



4 



50° 



5 



60° 



6 



65° 



7 



70^ 



8 



50"= boiled 



Mgms. of levulose 



13.2 

 18.8 

 21 . I 

 29.6 

 26.4 



10.2 

 8.8 



