THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE SPORES. 85 



filter and washed with a diluted ammoniacal solution of silver 

 nitrate and afterwards with cold water, then dissolved in a warm 

 nitric acid of the specific gravity of 1.1, after the addition of a 

 little urea, and upon cooling, microscopical needles were obtain- 

 ed which were analogous to the silver compounds of the xanthin- 

 bases. Though the crystals obtained were too small in quantity, 

 yet I made some further researches. After separating the 

 crystals by filtration, they were washed with cold water, and 

 suspended in some water slightly acidified with hydrochloric 

 acid, and the silver was removed with sulphuretted hydrogon. 

 The filtrate from the silver sulphide was then neutralized with 

 ammonia and evaporated to dryness. The residue was treated 

 with ammonia, upon which one part was dissolved and left an 

 insoluble residue. The latter gave the reaction of Capranica for 

 guanin, and also produced the characteristic change of colour 

 when treated with nitric acid and caustic soda. The ammoniacal 

 solution was evaporated and from it some powder of a faintly 

 yellow colour was obtained. This substance did not give the 

 reaction of Weidel, and when evaporated with nitric acid, left a 

 yellowish residue which turned dark reddish when treated with 

 caustic soda and on heating. It is probable that this colour- 

 ation was caused by other bases than hypoxanthin, because I 

 did not purify the latter by repeated recrystallization. (1) 



The nitric acid solution from which the needle-shaped 

 crystals were separated, was made slightly alkaline with am- 

 monia, whereby a very small quantity of a brownish yellow 

 flocculent precipitate was obtained, from which the silver was 

 removed by sulphuretted hydrogen, and filtered. The filtrate 

 was then evaporated to dryness, and a yellowish powder was 

 obtained, which was slightly soluble in water but insoluble in 

 alcohol and ether. On applying Weidel's test, it gave a dark 

 reddish colour, but not Hoppe-Seyler's reaction. The change of 

 colour with nitric acid and caustic soda was also observed. 

 Although the amount of the sample used was too small to afford 

 any positive proof for the presence of xanthin bases in the spores, 

 yet it is likely that they are contained in the spores. It appears 

 to me that many other bases besides those of the xanthin group 



(1) Compare ' On the Nitrogenous Non-albuminous Constituents of Bamboo Shoots,' 

 by Kozai. (Bull. College of Argic., Tokyo, Vol. I. No. 7). 



