1 74 Schunck and Brebner. — On the Action of Aniline 
That green herbaceous stems should react as green leaves 
do was to be expected, but that colourless rhizomes should 
give a still better reaction is a fact that we were not prepared 
for. On taking 250 grms. of the green stems of garden mint, 
and the same weight of colourless rhizomes of the same 
species, and treating with aniline in the usual manner, we ob- 
tained from the green stems 0*16 grm., from the colourless 
rhizomes 0*36 grm. of anilophyll. An equal quantity by weight 
of mint-leaves yielded 0*85 grm. of anilophyll, this compara- 
tively large yield being easily accounted for seeing that besides 
the large surface exposed by the leaves, they contain per unit 
of area a much greater quantity of functionally very active 
living cells as compared with either green stems or rhizomes. 
The cut surface of potatoes turns brown in about an hour on 
being painted with aniline, but the yield of anilophyll is very 
poor, as might be anticipated if it be true that we have an 
abundant formation of anilophyll only where there is plenty 
of functionally active protoplasm. 
Certain other dark brown to black amorphous colouring 
matters which are formed along with anilophyll are referred 
to in the 4 Chemistry of Chlorophyll,’ and need not be dealt 
with here. We may, however, remark that they are much 
more abundant in the product derived from green leaves than 
in that from other parts of plants, such as flowers and rhizomes. 
Occasionally we observed the formation, along with anilophyll, 
of a coloured crystalline substance, differing distinctly in 
appearance from the former, which it seemed partly to re- 
place. It crystallised in orange to orange-red rhombs, was 
readily soluble in alcohol and closely resembled azobenzene, 
with which it may indeed be identical ; that substance having 
been obtained by Leeds as a product of the action of hydrogen 
peroxide on aniline. The crystals were first observed in the 
thick fleshy root of Aconitum Napellus after treatment with 
aniline, and they were also obtained from dandelion leaves and 
roots. A body having a similar appearance is formed by the 
action of platinum-black on aniline in the presence of acetic acid. 
Though we see no reason to suppose that the peculiar action 
