CHEMICAL RESEARCHES ON THE ANIMAL FLUIDS. <^J 



A mixture of one part of nitric acid with three of v.'ater 

 acted more rapidly upon tiie coagulum of chyle; a portion 

 of it was dissolved, and, when the acid was carefully de- 

 canted from the remainder, it was found to possess the pro- 

 perties of gelatine. But when heat was applied, or when 

 a stronger acid was employed, the action became more vio- 

 lent, nitrogen and nitric oxide gas were evolved, and a 

 portion of carbonic acid and of oxalic acid was produced. 



7. Muriatic acid in its undiluted state does not dissolve Action of mu 

 the coagulum of chyle; but when mixed with an equal "'^ "^ '^^' » 

 quatitity of water, or even more largely diluted, it dissolves 



it with facility, forming a straw-coloured solution, which is 

 rendered turbid when the alkalis are added to exact satura- 

 tion, but no precipitate falls, nor can any be collected by 

 filtration. When either acid or alkali is in excess in this 

 solution, it remains transparent. 



8. Acetic acid dissolves a small portion of the coagulum oi^'^^'x\ 

 of chyle, when boiled upon it for some hours. As the so- 

 lution cools, it deposits white flakes, which have tlie proper- 

 ties .of coagulated albumen. 



.9. The action of ojialic acid is nearly sijnilar to that of oxalic, ^c. 

 the acetic, hut neither citric, nor tartaric acid, exerts any 

 action upon this coagulum. 



10. The destructive distillation of this substance affords Destructivft 

 water slightly impregnated with carbonate of ammonia, a 'siii'^t'on. 

 small quantity of thin fetid oil, and carbonic acid and car- 

 bur.etted hidrogen gas. 



The coal which remains in the retort is of difficult inciner- Coal. 

 ation ; it contains a considerable portion of muriate of soda 

 and phosphate of lime, and yields very slight traces of iron. 



C. 1. The serous part of the chyle becomes slightly tur- Properties of 



bid when heated, and deposits flakes of albumen. ' *'f f \°"' P*"" 



5 . , of chyle. 



2. If after the separation of this siibstauce the fluid be 



evaporated to half its orjgina] bulk, at a temperature not 

 exceeding 200" Fahrenheit ; small crystals separate on cool- Crystals in it. 

 ing, which, as far as I have been able to ascertain, bear a 

 strong resemblance to sugar of milk; they require for solu- 

 tion about four parts of boiling water, and from sixteen to 

 t-wenty parts of water of the temperature of 60°. They are 

 f.pariijgly soluble in boiling alcohol, but again deposited as 



the 



