199 
O'Brien . — The Proteids of Wheat. 
c. Glutine . — This originally constitutes the greater part, if 
not the whole, of glian ; and, as shown under zymom, glian 
constitutes in the first place about of gluten. In gluten 
prepared in the usual way, however, only 30°/ o of glian is 
present ; and of further hydrated gluten only 5°/ o is soluble 
in alcohol. Glutine is the most important constituent of 
gluten, and on the proportion in which it is present depends 
the tenacity and elasticity of gluten — in fact, its value from 
a commercial point of view. It is, too, the constituent richest 
in nitrogen (Ritthausen, N = i8-oi c /J approaching in this the 
conglutin (casein) of almonds, as indicated by Ritthausen in 
the name of the latter, although, as we have seen, it was the 
part of gluten insoluble in alcohol (zymom) which he called 
gluten-casein. This richness in nitrogen is not so evident in 
the results of other analysts ; and the smaller percentage in 
the other derivates of gluten may be due rather to their 
having taken up a small amount of water than to an originally 
different composition. 
It is soluble in alcohol of about 75°/ o strength, and is not 
completely soluble in water. Ritthausen found that the part 
soluble in water contained i7*7°/o nitrogen, the insoluble part 
i6-6°/ o . (These results being obtained from glutine with 
i8-I3°/ o N, may support the remarks just made as to the 
diminution in the percentage of nitrogen ; whilst that the 
soluble part had on drying lost its solubility in alcohol and in 
acetic acia may also be noted.) I find, however, that a solution 
from which as much myxon as possible has been separated, 
gives but a slight precipitate on adding to a large quantity of 
boiling water ; that is, that all the glian has passed over either 
into the myxon form or has become of an albumose nature. 
Glutine is not easily coagulated ; but if a freshly prepared 
solution be poured into a large quantity of boiling water large 
clots may form on boiling. From a solution of glutine, there- 
fore, we may obtain (i) a less soluble form of proteid, myxon, 
by boiling with alcohol ; or, (2) a completely coagulated form 
by boiling with a large quantity of water. 
The term glutine comes in this way to include a good deal 
