698 Miller.—A Physiological Study of the 
products produced by the artificial oxidation of oil. He succeeded in getting 
oil to absorb 15 % of its weight in oxygen. In the product thus obtained he 
could detect neither tannic nor oxalic acid, but acetic acid and butyric acid 
were identified. The product obtained gave none of the reactions of starch, 
cellulose, or sugar. 
The germination of Arachis hypogaea and Ricinus communis was 
extensively studied by Maquenne ( 23 ) in 1898. He selected these two 
seedlings in order to make a special study of the behaviour of saturated and 
unsaturated oils during germination. Arachic acid is a saturated compound 
with the formula C 20 H 40 O 2 , while ricinoleic acid is unsaturated and has the 
formula C ]8 H 34 0 3 . 
Maquenne found in Arachis that the cellulose and sugar content at its 
maximum amount in the seedling had increased 5-6 % of the weight of the 
dry material. In the seedlings of Ricinus , on the other hand, these con¬ 
stituents had at their maximum increased 16 % of the dry weight. The 
amount of carbohydrate which the glycerine of the oil could furnish for 
100 parts of the dry material would be about 5 %. The amount of carbo¬ 
hydrate obtained in the case of Arachis is approximately that amount, 
while in Ricinus it is much higher. From this Maquenne concluded that 
only the glycerine or the saturated oils contribute to the formation of sugar, 
and that their fatty acids serve only for oxidation. The fatty acids of the 
unsaturated oils, on the other hand, contribute to the formation of sugar. 
The production of carbohydrate from an unsaturated fatty acid is due to the 
presence of the allyl group in its molecule. These groups, rendered free 
by the oxidation of the two ends of the chain, transform themselves into 
glycerine, and then by polymerization form the carbohydrates. 
Sani ( 24 ) in 1900 observed in seedlings of the olive one week old 
a decrease of the oily content from 42 % to 6*2 %. 
Maze ( 25 ) (1900) by the autolysis of the macerated seedlings of Ricinus 
communis obtained an increase in the amount of reducing sugar. After 
a period of twenty-two hours at a temperature of 53 0 C. he obtained an 
increase of 2*6 % reducing sugar. The maximum increase of sugar found 
was 3-5 % of the material used or 7 % of the oily content. Since the controls 
during the same time showed no increase of sugar content, Maze concluded 
that in the seedling of this plant an enzyme is present which has the power 
to transform oil into sugar. 
Kirkwood and Gies ( 27 ) (1902), in a chemical study of the coco-nut, 
found evidence of the appearance of carbohydrate at the expense of the oil. 
Jegorow ( 27 ) (1904) investigated the seedlings of Cucurbita maxima , 
which were taken at periods of 6,10, 20, and 28 days. He found that at the 
end of the first period the quantity of oil had increased from 45 % to 47 %, 
and that the total weight of the dry matter had also increased. During the 
rest of the period there was a gradual decrease of the oily reserve. The 
