APPENDIX 
The analytical methods followed in the work presented in this bulletin 
differ in some respects from those given in our manuals. This is true to 
such an extent that I feel it incumbent upon me to give my methods, in 
justice to myself, and in order that others may prove the work presented, 
if they wish to do so, by the same methods that I have used. 
The preparation of the ash of either the wheat straw or wheat kernels,' 
involves the loss of important elements, phosphorus, sulfur and chlorin, 
therefore it seemed desirable to avoid this tedious work and the losses. 
I believe that Leavitt and LeClerc were the first to call attention to 
the material loss of phosphorus in incinerating wheat kernels *. My own 
experience has taught me that the loss of phosphorus due to volatilization 
renders it almost impossible to make duplicate phosphorus determinations 
by incineration that agree reasonably well no matter at how low a tempera¬ 
ture one may char the wheat. 
The loss of phosphorus during the burning of the straw is much more 
marked. It is impossible under the joint action of the silica^ and carbon 
to expel the phosphorus so completely that only trace's of it, a few thou^ 
sandths of one percent, remain. The determinations not given in the fol¬ 
lowing notes were made by the usual conventional methods, and are there¬ 
fore omitted. 
THE DETERMINATIONS OF IRON, CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM AND 
THE ALKALIS 
These determinations were effected as follows: One or more portions 
of 25 grams of wheat were treated with concentrated nitric acid in separate 
portions of 15 to 20 c.c. The mass foams strongly and, if too much nitric 
acid be added at one time, one is apt to lose the portion, unless an unduly 
large dish be used. I used a 4-inch silica dish. The whole was evaporated 
down to a gummy mass before the addition of the next portion of: acid. 
When 50 c.c. had been added, the residue was heatedi for a while in a hot¬ 
air oven, though this is not necessary, and then charred over a free flame 
and finally put into the muffle. Most of the carbon was burned out. The 
mass, still containing carbon, was treated with aqua re^ia, the solution 
evaporated to dryness, the residue treated with hydrochloric acid and fil¬ 
tered. The filter containing the residual carbon and silica was returned to 
the dish and burned and the residue treated as before. The united filtrates 
contained all of the bases as phosphates. The silica, together with any 
crease-dirt, consisting of fine sand, remained on the filter. The total silica 
and crease-dirt was so small in quantity that no attempt was made to sep¬ 
arate them. An examination, however, with an ordinary pocket lens, suf¬ 
fices to show the presence of sand grains. 
• Journal Am. Chem. Soc. Vol. 30. pp. 391-394. 
