150 
RESEARCHES IN ANIMAL CHEMISTRY. 
nesia; it becomes slightly alkaline, without any barytes re- 
maining in solution. 
After the separation of these precipitates, we can with- 
draw, by a suitable evaporation, crystals of creatine, dis- 
covered by M. Chevreul in boiled meat. 
Pushing the concentration further, there is formed in the 
syrupy liquid acicular crystals, which separated by the filter, 
and purified by new crystallisations, presents whitespangles 
of a very brilliant pearly lustre, and soluble with difficulty 
in alcohol. The liquid, separated from its crystals, changes 
into a thick mass formed of the syrupy mother-liquor and 
fine crystals, grouped concentrically, very soluble in alco- 
hol, and even in a mixture of alcohol and ether. These 
two crystalline matters are salts with bases of potash and 
lime combined with new acids, containing nitrogen. 
The latter mother-liquor contains lactate of potash. To 
extract the free lactic acid, I treat this mother-liquor with 
alcohol, and I add oxalic acid equally dissolved in alcohol- 
I thus obtain the separation of the potash in the state of 
oxalate of potash, I then add ether as long as the liquid is 
turbid. By these means, I separate divers other matters, 
and the alcoholic solution retains the lactic acid, susceptible 
now of giving, with hydrated lime, lactate of lime, which 
allows the lactic acid and the other lactates to be obtained. 
In submitting to analysis the lactate of lime and that of 
zinc prepared by these various methods, I have obtained 
for the first the formulae of C 6 H 5 J -f Ca x 4 Aq.; the lac- 
tate of zinc has given me G 6 H 5 O 5 , Zn + 2 Aq. 
These results will no longer leave the least doubt on the 
nature of the non-volatile organic acid spread in the animal 
organism ; they explain the rapid reaction of the muscles, 
and now that we know that in such an extent of the bodies 
of animals there exists a liquid acid which is only separated 
from an alkaline fluid (the blood and lymph) by very 
thin membranes, we may, I believe, explain many electric 
phenomena observed by M. Matteucci, and other physiolo- 
gists on the bodies of dead animals. 
