286 Mr. E. Schunck. Constitution of Chlorophyll. [Feb. 7, 



during evaporation, and this having been filtered off the liquid was 

 found to contain an abundance of glucose. The yellow fatty matter , 

 insoluble in water, dissolved easily in alcohol, but the yellow solution 

 showed none of the characteristic absorption bands of " acid chloro- 

 phyll." The dark green liquid, treated in exactly the same way, 

 yielded a dark green product insoluble in water. The filtrate from 

 this gave a slight reaction with Fehling's solution, but so trifling 

 comparatively that I am inclined to attribute it to the presence of 

 some substance not completely removed from the disulphide of carbon 

 solution by washing with alcohol. The dark green product of the 

 action of acid insoluble in water was soluble, though with difficulty, 

 in boiling alcohol, the solution being dull green and showing the 

 absorption bands due to " acid chlorophyll." If, therefore, chloro- 

 phyll be defined as the constituent of the green parts of plants, which 

 gives a spectrum showing the well-known bands at the red end, and 

 yields by decomposition with acids the product or products going by 

 the name of " acid chlorophyll," of which Fremy's phyllocyanin is the 

 most important and most characteristic, then chlorophyll is not a 

 glucoside. The glucoside which accompanies it and resembles it as 

 regards solubility in various menstrua may have to be sought among 

 the group of bodies to which the generic name of xanthophyll has 

 been applied. 



