118 WALKER. 



EXTRACTED, DRIED AND PULVERIZED MEAT WITH COCONUT OIL AND ACETIC ACID. 



Experiment X. — (a) The meat from a nut witli a sprout about 30 centimeters 

 long was cut into fine pieces and extracted with cold ether until practically all 

 the oil was removed; the remainder was then dried in a current of air at 

 room temperature, and finally in a vacuum over fused calcium chloride. When 

 dry, it was ground to a fine powder and again dried over calcium chloride; 2.5 

 grams of this powder, 22.7 of oil and 10 of an acid chloral solution were ground 



together and 10-gram portions titrated with — potassium hydroxide, with the 



following result : 



Cubic 

 Time. centimeters. 



At once 1.18 



2 days 1.15 



7 days 1.05 



(&) The foot from same nut was extracted with cold ether, dried in a 



vacuum, and ground to a fine powder; 2.5 grams of this powder, 22.7 of oil 



and 10 cubic centimeters of acid-chloral solution were ground together and 10- 



N 

 gram portions used for titration with — potassium hydroxide. There was 



practically no change, as is shown below: 



Time. 





Cubic 

 centimeters. 



At once 





1.38 



2 days 





. 1.35 



7 days 



SUMMARY. 



1.32 



Experiments were first made with coconut meat, millc and the foot 

 imder var3dng conditions, to determine if they were capable of hydroliz- 

 ing ethyl butyrate according to the methods employed by Kastle and 

 Loevenhart, toluol being used as an antiseptic. In most cases no 

 increase in acidity was noted. However, when hydrolysis did occur the 

 tubes were found not to. he sterile, the conclusion being that toluol is 

 not a sufficiently strong antiseptic to prevent the growth of organisms 

 in coconut extracts. 



When formalin was used in a dilution of 1 to 7,000 the hydrolysis was 

 entirely stopped. Formalin of this strength has almost no effect on ^ 

 evLzyme action. 



After this failure to hydrolize ethyl butyrate by means of extracts 

 from the meat, milk and foot, attempts were made to emulsify and 

 hydrolize pure coconut oil according to the method of Constein, Hoyer 

 and Wartenberg, using different portions of the coconut, instead of 

 castor beans. In no case were these attempts successful under sterile 

 conditions, although parallel experiments carried on with castor bean 

 press cake showed a decided hydrolysis. 



In none of these experiments, which extended over a period of seven 

 months, is the slightest proof given of the existence in the coconut of an 

 enzyme capable of hj'drolizing fat outside of the growing nut. The 



