1922] ATWOOD—FORM ALDEHYDE 247 
under all the conditions. From these data it would seem certain 
that treating wheat with formaldehyde retards the availability of 
carbohydrate to the germinating seedling. Boxkorny (12), review- 
ing the work of NEUBERG, in which variations showed in the inhibi- 
tory effects of different concentrations of formaldehyde ori various 
enzymes and of the effects of the same concentration on different 
enzymes, explains differences in behavior on the theory of the 
molecular structure of the enzymes causing different linkages with 
the formaldehyde. Inasmuch as enzymes are commonly known to 
be associated at least with proteins, and as formaldehyde is known 
to react quantitatively with amino acids, as in the Sdrensen titra- 
tion, it is not surprising that effects of formaldehyde upon enzyme 
behavior should be observed. 
AMINO ACIDS 
In the light of the results of the tests on the diastatic activity 
effects of formaldehyde, it was thought well to determine the 
relationships to amino acids. Miss CHoATEe (17) found amino 
acids occurring in ungerminated wheat and increasing in amount 
On germination. Miss EcKERSON (27) found only slight amounts 
of asparagine in the ripened grain, although histidine, leucine, 
asparagine, and arginine occurred during ripening. The chemic. 
constitution of the wheat grain involves several linked amino acids 
according to OSBORNE (42), while ABDERHALDEN and SAMUELY (1) 
in a list of the amino acid constituents of gliadin of wheat flour give 
alanine, tyrosine, and glutamic acid as among those highest in 
amount. 
As a preliminary test, known quantities of pure amino acids in 
water solution were determined by the Van Slyke method, both 
with and without the presence of varying amounts of formaldehyde. 
Alanine was secured from the organic laboratories of the Eastman 
Kodak Company, while glutamic acid hydrochloride and tyrosine 
were purchased from the Special Chemicals Company of Highland 
Park, Illinois. Careful checking through over 200 tests indicates 
that such linkages as are formed by formaldehyde and amino acids 
are broken by the Van Slyke process, and no reduction in nitrogen 
yields occurred incident to the presence of formaldehyde. The 
