3 
; 
: 
4 
a 
4 
: 
H. P. Armsby—Decay of Nitrogenous organic substances. 339 
precautions, and analyzed for nitrogen and ammonia. The 
nitrogen was determined by combustion with soda-lime and 
titration, the ammonia by boiling with magnesia and titration 
of the distillate. No ammonia was found in the standard acid 
in the U-tubes. The following are the results calculated on the 
whole quantity used : 
Gain (+) or loss (—) of G’in of ammo- 
nitrogen * nia expressed 
Materials. Weight. Sed cent, | 48 nitrogen. 
. Organic matter alone, —0°054 |—11:11) 0°0118 
] 
2. Organic matter and potash, +0°074 +415°22) 0°0301 
3. i and gypsum, —0°0302/— 6°21) 0°1651 
4, Org. matter, potash and gypsum, |—0°063 |—13°09) 0°0907 
1, Organic matter, +0°0067-+ 1°48) 00614 
2. Organic matter and potash, +0°0876'4+19°34) 0°0255 
3.,Organic matter : ‘ —0°0052,— 1°14) 0°0784 
4, Org. matter, potash, and gypsum, |—0°0088|\— 1°94, 0°0479 
I 
T 
13 
By an inspection of this table we see: 
1st. That with the exception of I 2 and IL 2, there is a loss 
of nitrogen in every case (the slight gain in II. 1 being within 
the errors of experiment. 
2d. That this loss is very much less in the second set of ex- 
periments, where only traces of oxygen were presen 
his result agrees with those of Lawes, Gilbert, and Pugh 
(Phil. Trans., 1865, ii, p. 509), and goes to show that the loss 
of nitrogen is caused by a process of oxidation. The effect of 
the gypsum seems to be to hinder the action. There seems to 
be no obvious relation between the circumstances of the experi- 
ments and the amount of ammonia formed. 
absence of free oxygen, appears to show that nitrification is not 
the only means by which the nitrogen content of organic mat- 
ter may be increased, and this conclusion is supported by the 
results of Dehérain already referred to. 
* Including that of the ammonia. 
