Adeney — Aerobic Bacterial Fermentation. 



21 



Hence it may be concluded that asparagine, when fermented by 

 water- organisms under aerobic conditions, may undergo complete 

 enzymic change into aspartic acid and ammonia during the earlier 

 stages of activity of the organisms, and that the aspartic acid subse- 

 quently suffers respiratory changes, which account for about 68 per 

 cent, of its carbon and 72 per cent, of its nitrogen, the remaining 32 per 

 cent, of the former and 28 per cent, of the latter being taken up by 

 other physiological processes not yet examined. 



The Fermentation of Alhumose. 



Albumose has been taken as a type of albuminous substances, 

 because it is easily dissolved, and readily undergoes fermentative 

 changes. Egg albumen, on the contrary, is very difficult to ferment 

 under the conditions of experiment employed in this investigation. 

 Solutions of egg albumen undergo slight change only, the albumen 

 being deposited as a thin iridescent film on the sides of the containing 

 vessel, and remaining unoxidized. 



It was anticipated that albumose, itself a product of enzymic 

 change, would not suffer further change by such process, under the 

 conditions; of experimenting, and that consequently the inorganic 

 products resulting from its fermentation would be entirely due to 

 respiratory changes. 



The details of the experiments, and the results obtained from 

 them, will be found in Table YII. Different stages in the fermentation, 

 from commencement to finish, are illustrated by the experiments. 



On plotting together the carbon dioxide and ammonia formed, a 

 practically straight line is obtained. An approximately straight line 

 is also obtained when the volumes of carbon dioxide formed, and of 

 oxygen absorbed, are plotted together. 



It may, therefore, be concluded that the oxygen absorbed, and the 

 two inorganic products formed, in these experiments, were the result 

 of respiratory changes. 



The fermentation of the albumose was complete in the experiments 

 36, 37, and 38 ; and the carbon dioxide formed in each of these 

 amounted to 22*16, 22*74, and 22'51 cc. per litre, and the nitrogen, 

 as ammonia, to 0-0041, 0-0042, and 0'0044, respectively. The volumes 

 of oxygen absorbed in these expei'iments were, respectively, 23*1, 

 23*91, and 22*57 cc. 



The] quantities of carbon dioxide and ammonia formed in these 

 experiments account for about 78*5 per cent, of the carbon, and 76*5 

 per cent, of the nitrogen, originally present in the albumose. 



K.I. A. PKOC, VOL. XXV., SEC. B.] G 



