294 REPORT— 1897. 



than the latter, for example, readily yielding a monobromo-derivative, 

 whereas it is almost impossible to prevent the exclusive formation of 

 dibromonaphthol from <i-naphthol. 



A series of sulphonic acids have been prepared from a-ethoxynaphtha- 

 lene and its bromo-derivatives. 



The Carbohydrates of the Cereal Straivs. — Report of the Committee^ 

 consisting of Professor E. Warington {Chairman), 0. F. Cross 

 (Secretary), and Manning Prentice. (Draivn up by the Secre- 

 tary.) 



The work upon the barley crop of 1896, which was reported in outline to 

 the Chemical Section in a paper read by Mr. Cross, has been more fully 

 dealt with in a paper read subsequently, and published in the ' Journal of 

 the Chemical Society,' 1896, pp. 804-818. The subject was also dealt with 

 from the more special point of view of the relation of the furfuroid con- 

 stituents of these straws to the important problems of animal digestion andl 

 alcoholic fermentation in a paper published in the ' Journal of the Fed. 

 Inst, of Brewing,' 1897, Pt. 1. 



The investigations have been continued without intei'ruption. We 

 have further and more closely studied the products of acid hydrolysis of 

 the cereal straws and of the celluloses isolated from them, and the main 

 results of these researches are embodied in a paper read at the Meeting of 

 the Chemical Society, London, on June 17. 



Generally the results of the preceding paper (loc. cit.) are amplified 

 and confirmed. As it had been previously shown that the furfural-yield- 

 ing constituents of fodder plants are in large measure hydrolysed and 

 assimilated by the animal organism, so the evidence is accumulating that 

 certain of these compounds when fully hydrolysed (to monoses) by artificial 

 processes are susceptible of alcoholic fermentation. 



It having been finally established that the pentoses themselves are 

 entirely resistant to the attack of the yeast cell, it follows that we are 

 dealing with a class of furfural-yielding carbohydrates, not pentoses. 



At the same time the reactions of these compounds clearly indicates 

 that they are pentose-derivatives, and most probably methylene ethers of 



the C5 sugars of the general formula CgHgOa C /CHg. 



It is difficult to devise reactions of decomposition or synthesis by which 

 such a constitutional formula could be finally verified. The literature of 



/^\ 



the analogous compound diperonal H0C.C(;H3<' /CH.„ but with an 



aromatic in place of a pentose residue, may be cited in evidence of the 

 exceptional difficulty of the pn blem presented. 



The authors are glad to report that through the kindness of friends, 

 they have now access to a vessel enabling them to operate upon a large 

 weight (7 kilos.) of the raw materials. 



Working upon this extendfd scale, and upon the basis of the results 

 established by long investigation and previously reported to the Associa- 

 tion, we may confidently expect more positive and, we hope, final results. 



