138 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [FEBRUARY 
2. METHOD OF EXTRACTION AND gy cites OF FINAL 
PRECIPITATES 
The extracts were made according to modified Buchner and 
Litner methods. Fresh vigorous algae were taken from the sea 
water and quickly rinsed under the tap. The excess tap water 
was removed by filter paper or cheese cloth. The algal material 
was then immersed in 95 per cent alcohol for 20 minutes. Having 
been freed from excess alcohol, it was next plunged into acetone 
for 10 minutes. The excess of this solution having been removed, 
the material was placed in fresh acetone for two minutes, partially 
dried by suction, and placed in an oven at 35°-40° C. until dry. 
Upon being taken from the oven, the dried material was cooled 
in a desiccator, thoroughly pulverized, placed in three times its 
amount of 20 per cent alcohol, and left standing 18-24 hours. At 
the end of this period the substance was filtered by suction through 
a Buchner funnel lined with cheese cloth and filter paper (it 
was necessary to filter the material by suction because of its vis- 
cosity), and to the liquid thus drawn off was added two and one- 
half times its volume of 95 per cent alcohol. After being filtered 
as above, the precipitate was washed in equal parts of ether and 
absolute alcohol, dried in a desiccator, and after being pulverized 
the extract was ready for use. The extraction treatment did not 
remove all of the color, so that the precipitates varied from brown- 
ish to light red. 
Because of the difficulty experienced in filtering, the final pre- 
cipitates were probably far from pure, but the following figures will 
show the amounts of precipitates obtained from the different species: 
Polysiphonia variegata,. <<. : 21.00 grams ponder = 15 are fn re 
Ceramiim 2 on 51.00 e: —0.15 
Dasya cans. 2. 53.03 = Cee 
Agardhiella tenera .......... st. 405°" ce ag 
Agardhiella tenera........... ti.00 eee ee 
* Obtained after material had been dehydrated, desiccated, and pulverized. 
3. ALGAL EXTRACTS AND COMMERCIAL DIASTASE 
Solutions of various concentrations were made from the algal 
extracts, but the one giving the best results consisted of 9.93 
gm. of extract dissolved in 5 cc. of distilled water. hte to the 
