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of Chlorophyll. 
phyll, according to the process described, has very distinct 
properties, though resembling the parent substance in some 
respects. A substance presumably identical with it has been 
named ‘ alkaline chlorophyll/ but I prefer to call it simply 
‘ alkachlorophyll.’ It is obtained by my process in the form 
of an amorphous resin-like body, purple by reflected, bright 
green by transmitted light ; it may be easily pulverised, 
yielding a dark green powder. It is insoluble in water, easily 
soluble in alcohol, ether, chloroform, benzol, aniline, and 
carbon disulphide, insoluble in petroleum-ether. Its solutions 
have a brilliant bluish-green colour and a marked red fluores- 
cence ; the ethereal solution shows six absorption-bands. It 
combines with alkalis, yielding compounds which are soluble 
in water. The sodium-compound is amorphous and has very 
much the appearance of the substance itself ; its aqueous 
solution gives green precipitates with barium chloride, lead 
acetate, cupric acetate, and silver nitrate. Alkachlorophyll in 
solution shows a remarkable degree of permanence when ex- 
posed to the combined action of air and light, as compared 
with chlorophyll. An alcoholic solution of chlorophyll ex- 
posed to light in a loosely stoppered bottle lost its green 
colour in a few days, whereas a solution of alkachlorophyll of 
as nearly as possible the same strength exposed along with the 
other retained its colour for some time, and after some weeks 
still showed a faint tinge and traces of the absorption-bands 
peculiar to the substance. 
The action of acids on alkachlorophyll is especially inter- 
esting, because the products to which it gives rise differ 
entirely from those derived from chlorophyll by decomposi- 
tion with acids. When a small quantity of sulphuric acid is 
added to an alcoholic solution of alkachlorophyll the solution 
almost immediately loses its bright green colour, which 
changes to a dirty purple, and on standing an abundant 
granular deposit is formed, which, being filtered off and 
slightly washed with alcohol, may be dissolved in boiling 
alcohol. The solution on cooling deposits brilliant purple 
crystals which have the properties of ethyl- phyllotaonin ; the 
