834 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



All the solutions from chocolates aud reds gave colourless residues when 

 allowed to evaporate slowly in sunlight. The alcoholic extract of a chocolate 

 which was dark green when unripe, afforded a little bright green residue, 

 which persisted for five days. 



Evaporation under similar conditions, but in the dark, resulted iu the 

 deposition of red, oily drops from the reds, and dark brown ones from the 

 chocolates. Neither was obtained in a crystalline form. 



To prepare the red in a pure form use was made of the fact that hot 

 alcoholic solutions become turbid on cooling, owing to the separation of oily 

 drops. These were separated by deoantation and by oentrifuging. They 

 were then again dissolved in hot absolute alcohol, and the precipitate on 

 cooling was separated as before, and dissolved in absolute alcoJiol for 

 spectroscopic examination. Hot acetone solutions yield a similar precipitate 

 ou cooling. 



Summari/. 



1. In Capsicum fruits, red is dominant to yellow, and appears to be a 

 simple dominant to chocolate and orange. 



2. Tlie differences in colour of unripe, green fruits, viz., light green, 

 green, and dark green are due to variations in tlie numbers of eliromatophores 

 contained in each cell. 



3. The colours of the ripe fruits are due to red, chocolate, orange, aud 

 yellow plastid pigments. It has not been possible to show tliat tlie red or 

 chocolate is due to a mixture of pigments. 



4. Some red fruits contain small quantities of yellow pigment soluble in 

 water. 



5. The red and chocolate pigments, wlien pure, are oily liquids which 

 liave not been obtained in a crystalline condition. They are distinguished 

 from lycopin, carotin, and xanthopliyll by this and by their ready solubility 

 in cold alcohol and iu petroleum ether. Such solutions become colourless 

 when allowed to evaporate in sunlight. 



6. Carotin is moderately soluble in cold pyridine, and yields crystals 

 from this solvent similar to those from etherial solution. 



7. The amount of peroxidase present in all Capsicum fruits appears to 

 diminisli as they ripen, and bears no simple relation to the variety of fruit. 

 The enzyme is frequently present only iu the epidermis, while the deeper 

 tissues may contain an inhibitor with a strong reducing action. 



