352 
MISCELLANY. 
formed by triturating almonds with water in a mortar, is treated with 
strong boiling alcohol, white crystals are deposited, which separate 
in larger quantity on cooling. To this substance they gave the name 
of Amygdalin. Liebig and Wohler have determined this body to be 
an amide of amygdalic acid, represented by the following formula: — 
N 2 C 4 o H 54 22 -f H 4 2 
Subsequently the investigation was continued by Wohler and Liebig, 
who observed, that when a solution of amygdalin is brought into contact 
with a milk of sweet almonds, a most remarkable and peculiar action 
takes place — prussic acid and oil of bitter almonds are formed, as in the 
instance already mentioned, when milk of bitter almonds is distilled, 
without the artificial addition of amygdalin. Besides prussic acid and 
oil of bitter almonds, there is also formed sugar, which may be decom- 
posed by fermentation. The solution, after the termination of the fer- 
menting process, affords a strong acid reaction, which is not produced by 
acetic, or any other volatile acid. When alcohol is added, and the solu- 
tion concentrated, thick white flocks are precipitated, which obviously 
contain no emulsin, because, when dissolved in water, they have no action 
upon amygdalin. From these and other properties, the flock would 
appear to be gum. The phenomena exhibited in the reaction described, 
which have been termed catalytic by Berzelius, resemble, in a great mea- 
sure, those which take place in fermentation, and their investigation 
promises to throw great light upon some of the most important processes 
of the vegetable and animal economy. With the view of assisting the 
elucidation of the subject, we have commenced with the examination of 
the essential ingredient of the milk of sweet almonds, which has been 
termed emulsin. The process by which we obtained this substance, was 
as follows : sweet almonds were triturated in a mortar, and small por- 
tions of water were gradually added, until a milky fluid was obtained. 
This fluid was mixed with four times its volume of ether, and frequently 
agitated so as to effect an intimate mixture. A clear fluid gradually 
separated at the bottom of the stoppered bottle in which the experiment 
was made, and which, at the end of three weeks, was drawn off by means 
of a syphon. This fluid was passed through a filter ; and to one-half of 
the clear solution, a large quantity of alcohol was added, which produced 
copious decomposition of white flocks, which were emulsin. From the 
other half the emulsin was separated by bringing the solution to the 
boiling point, when it precipitated in flocky coagula. The emulsin pre- 
cipitated by alcohol was carefully washed with the same fluid, and then 
dried over sulphuric acid in the vacuum of an air pump, to avoid the 
effects of heat. In this state is possessed the following characters : it is 
white powder, destitute of taste, smell, soluble in water, insoluble in 
alcohol and ether. When submitted to analysis in the usual way, the 
following results were obtained: — 
