1903.] On the Nucleoproteids of the Pancreas, etc. 



395 



sheep are identical, and scarcely differ in chemical composition from 

 the nucleoproteid of the pancreas prepared substantially by the same 

 method as that which has served for the researches described in this 

 paper. 



The following table exhibits the results of the ultimate analyses of 

 these bodies, and, for purposes of comparison, the analyses made by 

 Hammarsten of his preparation is also given : — 



Nucleoproteid Nucleoproteid Nucleoproteid 

 of suprarenal of suprarenal of pancreas Hammarsten' s 

 gland of sheep. gland of ox. of pig. preparation. 



C 46-22 46-81 45-83 43-62 



H 6-10 6-38 6-26 5-45 



P 4-70 4-72 5-05 4-48 



N 17-92 17-85 17-42 17-39 



As closely as the analytical processes at command could determine, 

 the nucleoproteicls of the pancreas and the suprarenal gland yield 

 guanine and adenine in the same relative proportions, and these appear 

 to indicate that one molecule of a nucleinic acid, or of a nucleo- 

 proteid, may yield two different xanthine bases. 



We must refer the reader to the paper quoted above for a descrip- 

 tion of a method of separating the nucleoproteid of the suprarenal 

 gland. As is well known, the characteristic physiologically active con- 

 stituent of this gland forms a dark brown pigment when exposed in 

 aqueous solution to the oxidising action of the air. Aqueous extracts 

 of the gland are therefore always highly coloured, and this colouring 

 matter places great difficulties in the way of the preparation of sub- 

 stances from the gland which are intended for optical examination. 

 While, therefore, the work on the nucleoproteid of the suprarenal 

 gland is not as satisfactory as we could desire, it can nevertheless be 

 stated most positively that this nucleoproteid also is dextrorotatory. 



The method of isolation which we employed does not differ essen- 

 tially from that employed in the research already referred to, except 

 that the gland was extracted several times with acetic acid before 

 removing the nucleoproteid. A substance was finally obtained which 

 is too highly coloured for accurate polarimetric determinations, but 

 which, even in the necessarily high dilutions which could alone be 

 used, could easily be shown to be dextrorotatory. 



The following data were obtained : — 



Weight of substance 0-199 gramme. 



Volume of solution 25 c.c. 



Observed angle +0° 23' 



Length of tube 100 mm 



[a] D = +48°-l. 



vol. lxxi. 2 F 



