April 16, 1920] 



SCIENCE 



397 



THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. 

 IX 



An examination of Wisconsin oil of Monarda 

 Punctata: Nellie Wakeman. (By title.) Fol- 

 lowing up the work on "A Possible New Terpene 

 in the Volatile Oil of Monarda Punctata,"^ re- 

 ported upon at the New Orleans meeting of the 

 American Chemical Society in 1915, another ex- 

 amination of the oil has been made. This study 

 confirms in every particular the earlier report. 

 The low boiling terpene fractions contain a hydro- 

 carbon, CioHia, which yields a nitroso chloride 

 melting at 89°. This in turn yields a nitrol- 

 piperidide which melts at 198°-199° and a nitrol- 

 benzylamide which melts at 103°. With aniline 

 the nitroso chloride behaves like that of pinene, the 

 regenerated hydrocarbon having a pinene-like odor, 

 quite different from the original oil. The fraction 

 boiling at 165°-168°, which gives the most abun- 

 dant yield of nitroso chloride, exhibits the follow- 

 ing physical constants at 20°. Specific gravity 

 0.8476; optical rotation +4.48; index of refrac- 

 tion 1.4698. The low boiling nonphenol fractions 

 also contain isovaleric aldehyde, identified by its 

 p-nitro phenylhydrazone which melts at 108°-109°, 

 also by oxidation to an acid and its determination 

 as silver valerinate. The nonorystallizable phenol 

 portion contains carvaerol, hitherto not known in 

 thds oil, identified by its phenyl urethane melting 

 at 137°. 



On Jwmoglohin, 1. Optical constants: Wm. H. 

 Welker and Chas. S. Williamson. The absorp- 

 tion constants of hemoglobin from various species 

 of animals were studied by means of the spectro- 

 photometer. The hemoglobin was prepared by a 

 method, which was more favorable for the removal 

 of associated colloids than the older methods. 

 Hemoglobin from the dog, ox, cat, chicken, guinea- 

 pig, rat, sheep, horse, pig and man were studied. 

 The results obtained would indicate that if there 

 is any difference in the absorption constants of 

 hemoglobin from different species, these differences 

 are not sufficiently large to serve as means of 

 identification of the species. 



, Analysis of pleural fluid from a case of chylo- 

 thorax: Wm. H. Welker and Chas. S. William- 

 son. Quantitative analyses of pleural fluids ob- 

 tained from cases of chylothorax are extremely 

 rare in medical literature. The analysis of the 

 fluid obtained from this case, follows: 



B Science, Vol. 42, p. 100. 



Per Cent. 



Specific gravity 1.0199 



Solids (total) 6.64 



Ash (iguiition at 750° C.) 0.85 



Nitrogen (total 0.75 



Nitrogen (non-colloidal) 0.02 



Nitrogen (colloidal, calculated as protein). 4.56 



Lipina (total) 0.79 



Lipins (unsaponifiable) 0.75 



Chlorin (calculated as NaCl) 0.73 



Digestibility of avocado and certain other oils: 

 H. J. Deuel and Arthur D. Holmes. (By title.) 

 The experiments were carried on similarly to the 

 previous ones in which the digestibility of about 

 50 different oils has been determined. With the 

 exception of the avocado fat, the oils and fats in- 

 cluded in this study incorporated in a special corn- 

 starch blancmange or pudding were eaten with a 

 simple basal diet (commercial wheat biscuit, 

 oranges and sugar) which supplied only a very 

 small amount -of fat and tea or coffee was used 

 according to personal preference. It was thought 

 best to test the digestibility of avocado fat by 

 serving the fruit as it grows with a simple basal 

 ration very nearly fat-free, the avocado being 

 eaten in such quantities that it supplied an 

 amount of fat comparable with the fat consumed 

 in other fat experiments. Weighings were made 

 of all the food served and refuse remaining, the 

 difference between the two representing amounts 

 eaten. The fat of water-free feces was also re- 

 corded. Both food and feces were analyzed in 

 order to determine the amounts of protein, fat 

 and carfjohydrate in each. The difference in the 

 amounts 'Of these constituents present in the food 

 and in the feces was taken to represent the amounts 

 of each actually utilized by the body. The esti- 

 mated digestibility was avocado fat 82.5 per cent., 

 capuassu fat 92.7 per cent., cohune oil 99.0 per 

 cent., hempseed oil 98.5 per cent., palm-kernel oil 

 98.0 per cent., and poppy-seed oil 96.3 per cent. 

 The digestibility of avocado fat is somewhat lower 

 than that found for most fats and oils. While the 

 intake of avocado fat varied somewhat with the 

 different subjects, the data available is not sufS- 

 cient to warrant any conclusions as to whether or 

 mot a smaller intake of avocado fat would have 

 been more completely assimilated. The average 

 amount of fat eaten daily in each of the experi- 

 ments was: Avocado 90 grams, capuassu fat 40 

 grams, cohune oil 52 grams, hempseed oil 53 

 grams, palm-kernel oil 100 grams and poppy-seed 

 oil 49 grams. The number of experiments re- 



