December 14, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



597 



alkaline compounds. The detailed paper will ap- 

 pear in the Jour. Amer. Chem. Soc. 



The effect of prolonged acid hydrolysis on the 

 •nitrogen distribution of fibrin, with especial refer- 

 erence to the ammonia fraction: Ross Aiken 

 GoRTNER and George E. Holm. Fibrin was 

 toiled with 20 per cent. HCl for varying periods 

 of time ranging from 1 hour to 6 weeks, the am- 

 monia fraction increases continuously, showing a 

 150 per cent, increase at the end of six weeks over 

 that obtained at the end of twelve hours. This in- 

 ■erease in ammonia comes almost entirely from the 

 deamination of mono amino acids. The ammonia 

 fraction of a twenty-four- or forty-eight-hour hy- 

 drolysate can not be taken as an absolute measure 

 of amide nitrogen, for some ' ' deamination ' ' ni- 

 trogen is undoubtedly present, the amount depend- 

 ing both upon the particular protein and the length 

 of hydrolysis. The paper will appear in the Jour. 

 Amer. Chem. Soc. 



Comparative analyses of fibrin from different 

 animals: Ross Aiken Gortner and Alexander 

 J. Wdertz. Fibrin has been prepared from the 

 blood of cattle, sheep and swine and the nitrogen 

 distribution determined by Van Slyke's method. 

 No differences significantly greater than the ex- 

 pected experimental errors were found. It would 

 thus appear that fibrin from any of these three 

 sources can be used interchangeably in experi- 

 mental work without invalidating the results. 

 Whether or not this is true for fibrins from other 

 sources remains still an open question. 



The nitrogen distribution in protalbinic and 

 lysalbinic acids: Ross Aiken Gortner and Cor- 

 nelia Kennedy. Lysalbinic and protalbinic acids 

 were prepared from egg albumen by Paal's method 

 and their nitrogen distribution, together with 

 that of the original egg albumen, determined by 

 Van Slyke's method. No marked difference was 

 observed in any of the fractions, although both 

 of the derived products show a somewhat greater 

 apparent lysine content. This is probably due to 

 ornithine derived from arginine. The analyses 

 furnish no evidence as to whether or not these 

 "acids" are true chemical compounds or as to 

 ■whether or not their structure is more simple than 

 is that of egg albumen. The paper will appear in 

 the Jour. Amer. Chem. Soc. 



On the relative imbibition of glutens from 

 strong and weak flours: Ross Aiken Gortner 

 and Everett H. Dohertt. The gluten was washed 

 from both "strong" and "weak" flours and the 

 hydration capacity of the colloids measured by im- 



mersing weighed disks in different concentrations 

 of certain acids, allowing them to remain a defi- 

 nite length of time and again weighing. Lactic 

 and acetic acids produced greatest imbibition, the 

 form of these hydration curves being very differ- 

 ent from those of hydrochloric and oxalic acids 

 which produced much less hydration. The gluten 

 from a "weak" flour has a much' lower rate of 

 hydration and a much lower maximum hydration 

 capacity than has the gluten from a "strong" 

 flour. Gluten from a "weak" flour changes from 

 a gel to a sol at a much lower degree of hydration 

 than does that from a "strong" flour. There is 

 an inherent difference in the colloidal properties 

 of the glutens from ' ' strong ' ' and ' ' weak ' ' flours 

 and these glutens would not be identical even if 

 the flours had originally had the same salt and 

 acid content. The paper will be published in 

 Jour. Agr. Res. 



organic division 

 J. R. Bailey, Chairman 

 H. L. Fisher, Secretary 

 Joint Session with Physical and Inorganic Di- 

 vision 

 The composition of oil of cassia. II: Francis 



D. Dodge. In a previous paper, the writer and A. 



E. Sherndal have reported the examination of the 

 alkali-soluble portion of the oil of cassia, binding, 

 as new constituents, coumarin, salicylic aldehyde, 

 salicylic and benzoic acids, and a liquid acid, not 

 identified. The writer has recently examined the 

 aldehydes present in the oil, and has identified, as 

 minor constituents, benzaldehyde and methyl-sali- 

 cylaldehyde. The latter was isolated as the oxime, 

 melting at 90°, and identified by conversion into 

 methyl salicylic acid. No positive indication of 

 the presence of hydrocinnamic aldehyde was found. 



Molecular rearrangements in the camphor 

 series. The decomposition products of the methyl 

 ester of the isoaminocamphonanic acid. A new re- 

 action involving the formation of the methyl 

 ether of a hydroxy acid: William A. Notes 

 and Glenn S. Skinner. Several years ago L. R. 

 Littleton and one of us were engaged upon the 

 study of the decomposition of isoamin'oeampho- 

 nanie acid with nitrous acid. Cis-camphonololac- 

 tone was the only product identified. We have 

 undertaken the study of the decomposition of the 

 methyl ester with the intention of separating the 

 products by fractional distillation under diminished 

 pressure. The products that would be normally 

 expected are a methyl ester of a hydroxy (trans- 

 camphonolic) acid with hrdroxyl in place of the 



