THE FORMATION OF PROTEIDS IN PLANT-CELLS. 



59 



the same atomic group, that leads by the decomposition of 

 proteids with hydrochloric acid to lysin C 6 H I4 N 2 0 2 and lysatin 

 C 6 H I3 N 3 0 2 , which were discovered by Drechsel. Arginin is con- 

 tained also in the Cucurbita-shoots but only in very small 

 quantities; also in the soya-shoots it appears to be present. 1 ' 



Another nitrogenous substance, not found hitherto in plants, 

 was discovered by E. Schulze and /. Barbieri in the young leaves 

 of Platanus, allantoin. 2 ' 



Also the bark of Aesculus Hypocastanum and leaves of Acer 

 pseudo-platanus and Acer campestre contain small quantities. 3 ' 

 While the shoots of Platanus-buds contain as much as l% 

 allantoin, it could not be discovered in many other plants (Vicia, 

 Trifolium, Betula, Fagus, Tilia, Popuhis, Vitis vinifcra, shoots of 

 Cucurbita and Lupinus.)^ 



Urea as such has not yet been found in plants, but the 

 closely related guanidin was discovered by E. Schulze in shoots 

 of Vicia sativa. 5) Still another base was found by E. Schulze and 

 E. Bosshard in young Vicia and Trifolium, in cotyledons of ger- 

 minating Cucurbita and in ergot (Claviceps purpurea); it was called 

 vemin, corresponds to the formula C l6 H, 0 N 8 O s + 3H 2 0 and yields 

 by decomposition with hydrochloric acid gtianin. 6) Later the 

 same substance was found by E. Schulze and A. v. Planta also in 

 the pollen of Corylus avellana and of Pinus sylvcstris. 7) Whether 

 this base results from decomposition of protein has not been 

 proved positively, but as to the other products mentioned, there 

 cannot exist any doubt. Gorup-Bcsanez, who first discovered 

 leucin in plants (shoots of Vicia), was also the first to demonstrate 



1) E. Schulze, Zeitsch. f. physiol. Chem. n, 43 and Journ. f. prakt. Chem. 32, 



433- 



2) Ber. d. Deutsch. Chem. Ges. 13, 1602. Allantoin, C4H6N4O3, occurs in the 

 animal body and is a derivative of urea, a diureid of glyoxylic acid. Also arginin is 

 a derivative of urea (Schulze) like lysatin (Drechsel). 



3) Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem. 9, 420. Richardson and Crampton found small 

 quantities of allantoin in germinating wheat (Ber. Deutsch. Chem. Ges. ig). 



4) All these plants were kept for some time in the dark to bring- on a decomposi- 

 tion of protein (E. Schulze). 



5) Ber. d. Deutsch. Chem. Ges. 25, 658. 3 kilo of dry shoots yielded only ig. 

 of nitrate of guanidin. 



6) Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem. 10, 80. 



7) Ibid, io, 326. From 1300 g. of Corylus-pollen about ig. of vemin was ob- 

 tained. 



