544 O'Brien.— The Proteids of Wheat (//). 
paper. No starch is present in the embryo, but there seems 
to be a small amount of sugar, and much oil. 
The aleuron-grains occur in almost all the cells of the 
embryo, including the scutellum : they are, however, absent 
from the epithelium of the latter, and are often imperfectly 
formed in the epidermal cells of the radicle and of the 
coleorhiza, being destitute of globoids ; in the reserve-cells of 
the scutellum they are smaller than those of the aleuron-layer. 
The grains have usually one distinct globoid, occasionally two 
or more ; around the globoid is a ring of proteid, the outer 
layer of which is somewhat less soluble than the rest. The 
proteid ring stains deeply with iodine, fuchsin, Hoffmann’s 
blue, and other aniline dyes: it rapidly dissolves in dilute 
potash, less rapidly in a ten per cent, solution of sodium 
chloride, and is only partially soluble in water. The globoid 
dissolves instantly in picric acid, but is not attacked by 
dilute potash, salt solution, or water ; it thus differs markedly 
from the substance which forms the core of the grains in the 
aleuron-layer of the endosperm. 
The separation of the various proteids was performed in 
extracts made from quantities of ‘ germ,’ as the material may 
be conveniently termed. 
Treated with water, germ yields a slightly alkaline extract, 
holding proteids in solution and much oil in suspension, and 
filtering with difficulty. On slowly heating the extract, 
coagula were obtained at three distinct temperatures, namely, 
at about 55 0 C., 75 0 C., and above 8o° C. Since, after coagulation 
is complete, the liquid still gives the xanthoproteic and 
Millon’s reactions, the presence of a proteose is indicated : 
the amount of it is but small, and it may be a secondary 
product. 
On saturation with sodium chloride, the watery extract 
gives a dense precipitate of a proteid which is presumably 
myosin. Since this proteid very rapidly coagulated on 
standing, it was impossible to collect and re-dissolve it so as 
to determine its exact coagulating-point. Probably it is 
about 55 0 C., because the substances remaining in solution 
