FORMATION OF ASPARAGINE IN PLANTS. 
425 
The solutions were once renewed. The plants were very 
healthy, and rapid growth was observed : especially was this the 
case with the ammonium chloride plants. The analysis, for which 
the entire plants were used, yielded the following results for 100 
parts of dry matter :— 
Table XXIII. 
Plants treated with 
Original 
Control 
Ammonium 
Ammonium 
Urea 
Sodium 
Total nitrogen 
plants 
372 
plants 
3-73 
chloride 
4.48 
carbonate 
4-51 
4-63 
nitrate 
4.60 
Albuminoid nitrogen 
1.98 
i.81 
1.64 
i -73 
1.96 
1.99 
Asparagine nitrogen 
0.19 
0.99 
1.48 
1-33 
1 *55 
I -13 
Nitrate nitrogen 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0.21 
Here, a considerable increase of asparagine nitrogen in the 
control case was observed. This increase may be chiefly due to 
the transformation of other amido-compounds into asparagine, 
as there was no nitrate stored up in the plants, and no de¬ 
composition of proteids was observed. (1) 
Isolation of asparagine crystals from the plants treated with 
ammonium chloride :—10 grams of the finely powdered substance 
were repeatedly extracted with warm water, and the extract, 
after the addition of some tannin and basic lead acetate, was filter¬ 
ed. To the clear filtrate was added an excess of mercuric nitrate 
solution, whereby a white flocculent precipitate was formed, 
which, after washing, was decomposed with hydrogen sulphide ; 
the filtrate from the mercuric sulphide was concentrated on the 
water bath, the solution being kept always neutral by the addition 
(i) The hot aqueous extract of the wheat prepared with boiling water, gave with 
phospho-tungstic acid a turbidity, and upon further addition of nitric acid, a flocculent 
precipitate probably due to peptone-like bodies was produced ; but when this extract was 
first mixed with basic lead acetate until no more precipitate was obtained, the phospho- 
tungstic acid produced in presence of considerable nitric acid, a smaller amount of 
pulverulent precipitate, probably due to traces of a base like choline or betain. This 
filtrate of the lead precipitate did not give any reaction whatever with caustic potash upon 
the addition of a trace of copper sulphate (biuret reaction) ; therefore no peptone was 
present. 
Neither ammonia nor urea was stored up as such in the treated plants. A finely 
powdered dry sample was extracted with hot absolute alcohol, the alcohol was distilled 
off, and the residue after removal of impurities by basic lead acetate, was precipitated 
with mercuric nitrate solution, the solution being kept almost neutral, the precipitate was 
decomposed by hydrogen sulphide, the filtrate evaporated (keeping it always neutral by 
the addition of baryta solution) and the evaporated residue again extracted with warm 
absolute alcohol and evaporated again ; hereby no crystals of Urea , were observed nor 
any crystallization upon the addition of nitric acid or oxalic acid. 
