176 Dr Latham, On the Composition of Albumen. [Feb. 6, 



From these cyanliydrins or their antecedent aldehydes, or from 

 the amido-nitriles, many products having the same composition as 

 those occurring in the animal economy may be derived. 



(1) From pentene cyanhydrin, as I have shown, leucine may 

 be formed. 



(2) The formation of lactic acid from ethidene and ethene 

 cyanhydrins has also been given. 



Alanine can also be derived from these compounds: 



C 2 H 4 {^ + NH 3 = c a{cn 2 + H2 ° 



ethene or ethidene ethene or ethidene 



cyanhydrin cyanarnide 



aH 4 {^ 2 +2H 2 =C,H 4 {^ H + NH,* 



alanine 



(3) Similarly from methene cyanhydrin glycocine should be 

 obtained — 



CH2 {cN + NHs = CH2 {cN 2 + H >° 



methene cyanhyd methene cyanarnide 



CH ={oK ! + 2H =° = OH '& + NH * 



glycocine 



(4) Mandelic cyanhydrin is decomposed into its generators 

 benzaldehyde and hydrocyanic acid even by warm water "f*. And 

 by combiniDg an amido-nitrile with benzaldehyde and treating the 

 resulting compound with an acid the mode of formation of tyrosine 

 seems to be indicated — 



C 6 H 5 . CHO + CH 2 1™ 2 + 2H 2 = C 9 H u N0 3 + NH 3 



benzaldehyde methene tyrosine 



cyanarnide 



(5) The formation of sarcosine in dead muscle would appear 

 to be as follows : 



CH 2 {£* + NH 2 . CH a = CH £ |™ • CHa + H 2 



methene cyanhyd. nitrile 



* Fownes, p. 381. t Miller's Chemistry. 1880. Part in. p. 757. 



