U. SUZUKI. 



265 



ferro-nuclein exists evidently also in other plants, as tests with 

 mulberry leaves 1 and tea leaves 2 have shown. 



Summary of Results. 



1) . Seeds of Polygonum tinctorium and Indigofera tinctoria 

 are exceedingly rich in iron, as are the leaves of the same 

 plants. The iron does not exist in these plants as inorganic 

 salts. 



2) . Ethereal, alcoholic and aqueous extracts of the dried 

 and pulverized seeds or leaves contain no iron. Also the 

 sodium chloric! extract contains no iron compound or only 

 traces of it. However the dilute alkali extract contains a 

 nuclein like substance which can be precipitated with dilute 

 acetic acid. This contains the greater part of the iron of the 

 original material. This precipitate was subjected to artificial 

 pepsin digestion, whereby a portion of the proteids dissolved, 

 and if this solution is again precipitated with absolute alcohol 

 the products formed still contained iron. The insoluble residue 

 obtained from artificial digestion chiefly consists of a nuclein like 

 substance and contains 0.5 — i.o^q iron and 5 — 10,%" nitrogen 

 according to the methods of preparation. A small portion of 

 iron was liberated during the digestion process. 



3) . Tests made to isolate the so called haematogen by the 

 methods of Bunge and of Stoklasa from plant seeds, yielded 

 unsatisfactory results. Stoklasa obtained 1.9 grams haematogen 

 from 1500 grams of dry Allium cepa, that is to say nearly 

 0.002% of iron in the dry matter of the original material was 

 found to be in the form of haematogen. With Pisum sativum 

 his result was similar. As these vegetable materials contain on 

 the average more than 0.02^ of iron in the dry matter, only 

 about one tenth of the iron in the original materials was obtained 

 in the form of " haematogen." Therefore we may infer that the 

 greater part of the iron in these cases also exists in other forms 

 than " haematogen." 



1 About 300 grams of dry powder were extracted with dilute caustic potash, but 

 the precipitate obtained with acetic acid was exceedingly gelatinous, which made further 

 purification difficult. It could however be easily shown that this precipitate contained 

 iron. 



2 Tea leaves arc very rich in iron, sometimes 12% of the ash consisting of the oxid. 

 Compare the article of Mr. Aso in this Bulletin. 



