Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  I 
Feb.,  1881.  J 
Papain^. 
75 
The  cedrin  is  very  soluble  in  water,  in  which  it  softens  before  dis- 
solving ;  its  distinctive  character  is  its  superb  greenish-yellow  fluores- 
cence, which  is  shown  even  in  very  dilute  solutions.  Like  the  waldi- 
vin  it  is  exceedingly  bitter ;  but  this  is  not  completely  destroyed  by 
alkalies;  it  is  neutral  to  litmus,  but  tannin  and  the  reagents  for  alka- 
loids form  precipitates  in  its  aqueous  solution. 
In  concluding,  the  author  expresses  the  opinion  that  this  cedrin 
does  not  appear  to  be  a  body  of  which  the  purity  may  be  guaranteed,, 
and  that  new  researches  are  necessary  on  the  subject. 
ON  PAPAINE;  A  NEW  CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE 
HISTOEY  OF  SOLUBLE  FERMENTS. 
By  Ad.  Wurtz. 
Translated  fi-om  "Jour,  de  Phar.  et  de  Chim.,"  Jan.,  1881,  by  Frederick  B.  Power. 
The  author  had  established  some  time  ago  (^^Amer.  Jour.  Phar.,"" 
Nov.,  1880,  p.  568)  that  papain^,  the  soluble  ferment  of  Carica  papaya,, 
is  closely  connected  with  the  albuminoid  substances,  both  in  its  compo- 
sition and  chemical  properties ;  and,  the  researches  having  been  con- 
tinued, he  is  now  able  to  give  some  details  regarding  its  digestive 
power,  and  to  express  an  idea  as  to  its  mode  of  action.  In  order  to 
appreciate  the  energy  of  its  digestive  power,  a  product  which  had  been 
purified  by  means  of  subacetate  of  lead  was  operated  with,  and  the 
analysis  of  which  has  been  previously  communicated. 
In  one  experiment  0*1  gram  of  the  papaine  was  digested  with  100 
grams  of  moist  fibrin,  mixed  with  500  cubic  centimeters  of  distilled 
water,  to  which  some  drops  of  prussic  acid  were  added.  At  the  end 
of  36  hours  the  mixture  was  filtered,  and  an  insoluble  residue  of 
dyspeptone  collected,  weighing  when  dry  2*5  grams.  The  peptonic 
solution,  which  was  precipitated  by  nitric  acid  to  which  500  grams  of 
alcohol  were  added,  furnished  an  abundant  precipitate  of  parapeptone, 
which  weighed  after  drying  8*9  grams,  while  the  alcoholic  solution  left 
upon  evaporation  and  drying  a  brown  residue  weighing  10*3  grams. 
This  residue,  having  been  taken  up  again  with  water,  the  solution 
ceased  to  give  a  precipitate  with  nitric  acid,  and  when  evaporated  left 
a  heavy  brown-colored  syrup,  which  deposited  crystals ;  the  latter, 
after  being  purified  by  several  crystallizations  from  water,  with  the 
addition  of  animal  charcoal,  was  obtained  in  the  form  of  colorless  crys- 
talline plates,  presenting  the  appearance  of  leucin. 
It  results  from  this  experiment  that  the  papaine  had  dissolved  1,000 
