1885.] creatine and area in muscular tissue. 2G1 



Similarly 



PH 2 

 PH \ 



2l r CO.NH + 2H 2 



-(COOH [CO.NH 



glycocine CH J 



(.COOH 

 Similarly 



JNH 2 



NH Ux)NH 



3CH i " =C,K +2H 2 



^ ^COOH 2 Hco.NH 

 alanine C„H J 



" (COOH 

 f^H 



5 H 10 

 rlsrTT CO.NH 



- d3C Ao{co6H= C ^{ C0 . N H +2H2 ° 

 leucine OH f 



5 10 < 



(COOH 

 and in the same way these compound molecules may be connected 

 together by combining the COOH in one with the NH 2 in. the 

 other, with elimination of H 2 0. 



If these are the changes which take place on the dehydration 

 of these bodies in their progress to the formation of albumen, a 

 very interesting point attracts attention, viz. that the quantiva- 

 lence of the atoms in the above molecules of CO . NH is not 

 satisfied = C = . = N — H, there is a break between the oxygen 

 and nitrogen ; there must therefore be an interchange of atoms 

 and the molecule becomes =C = N — O — H or CN . OH. Such a 

 change coincides with the view expressed by Pfiuger* that ammo- 

 nium cyanate CNO . NH 4 is a type of living, and urea CO \ ^* 



of dead nitrogen, and the conversion of the former into the latter is 

 an image of the essential change which takes place when a proteid 

 dies. 



By dehydration of the glycines then we should have generally : 



pH 2 



O "FT { 



(NH. " 2 " [CN . OH 



3CH J ' =CH i + 2H.0 



| COOH ^CN.OH 



CH, J 



""(COOH 

 * Archiv, Ed. x. s. 337. 



