Am.  .lour.  Pharm  ) 
Aug.,  1881,  ; 
Crystallin e  Albumin o ids. 
393 
hoi  evaporated  spontaneously  and  the  presence  of  tannin  determined 
by  means  of  ferric  cliloride,  gelatin  and  quinia  salt. 
The  residue  insoluble  in  alcohol  (of  the  evaporated  filtrate  from 
the  mixture  of  the  alcoholic  extract  and  water),  was  dissolved  in  boil- 
ing water  ;  on  cooling,  a  portion  (which  was  tasteless  and  of  a  reddish- 
brown  color)  separated,  but  was  wholly  soluble  on  the  addition  of 
oaustic  soda.  The  precipitate  A,  caused  by  adding  the  alcoholic 
extract  to  water,  was  dissolved  in  alcohol  and  precipitated  (precipitate 
O)  with  alcoholic  acetate  of  lead,  filtered  and  precipitated  (precipitate 
D)  with  ammonia  alcohol  (filtrate  E). 
Precipitate  C  was  suspended  in  alcohol  and  decomposed  with  sul- 
phuretted hydrogen,  filtered  from  the  sulphide  of  lead  and,  on  the 
■evaporation  of  the  filtrate  to  dryness,  a  light  yellowish-brown  colored 
residue  remained,  which  had  no  taste  and  gave  with  nitric  acid  a  dark 
brown  color. 
The  precipitate  D  was  dissolved  in  alcohol,  decomposed  with  sul- 
phuretted hydrogen  and  filtered,  and,  after  the  evaporation  of  the 
alcohol,  there  was  left  a  blackish-brown  colored  residue  which  was 
tasteless  and  with  nitric  acid  gave  a  light  yellow  color. 
The  filtrate  E,  on  standing,  deposited  small  needle-shaped  crystals 
of  a  lemon-yellow  color,  insoluble  in  water  and  alcohol,  slightly  solu- 
ble in  ether  and  cold  chloroform,  and  wholly  soluble  in  boiling  chlo- 
roform, but  on  cooling  deposit  again.  On  being  heated  on  platinum 
foil,  it  first  blackened  then  burnt  up  without  leaving  any  residue. 
The  quantity  being  so  small,  no  further  tests  could  be  applied. 
The  constituents  determined  are  valerianic  acid,  volatile  oil,  fat, 
resin,  tannin,  sugar  and  coloring  matter,  besides  several  compounds 
the  nature  of  which  Avas  not  ascertained. 
Crystalline  Albuminoids. — Recently  Gmebler  described  crys- 
talline albumen  from  pumpkin  seeds.  H.  Ritthausen  has  made  a 
.similar  observation  with  the  press-cake  of  hemp  seed  ;  by  exhausting- 
it  with  a  warm  5  per  cent,  solution  of  sodium  chloride  handsome 
octohedral  and  rhombic  dodecahedral  crystals  were  obtained,  the  sub- 
stance being  probably  identical  with  that  from  pumpkin  seeds.  A 
.similar  result  was  obtained  from  the  ])rcss-cake  of  castor-oil  seeds  ; 
but  neither  the  seeds  nor  the  ])ress-cakes  of  groundnuts,  sunflower 
seeds,  hazel  mits  or  Brazil  nuts  yielded  albumen  in  a  crystalline  form. 
—  Chem.  Ztf/.,  No.  21  ;  Jour.  praJd.  Clicm.,  xxiii,  481. 
