I 
5 1 6  Serum-  and  Egg- Albumin.         { AmN{Tj£rm 
least)  a  small  quantity  of  albumin  combined  with  soda,  which  alkali 
prevents  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  occording  to  the  quantity  in  which 
it  is  present,  the  coagulation  alike  of  the  albumin  combined  with  itself, 
and  of  that  combined  with  calcium  phosphate,  when  the  liquid  is 
heated. 
The  compound  of  albumin  with  calcium  (and  magnesium)  phosphate 
is  possessed  of  the  following  properties  : 
1.  It  is  decomposed  by  acids  and  by  alkalis,  the  albumin  remaining 
in  solution  ;  the  more  concentrated  the  solution,  the  total  quantity  of 
albumin  remaining  unchanged,  the  greater  is  the  quantity  of  alkali  or 
of  acid  needed  for  decomposition. 
2.  It  has  an  extremely  faint  acid  reaction,  becoming  visible  only 
after  many  hours. 
3.  Probably  different  compounds  are  formed,  accorditag  as  serum  or 
egg-albumin  is  employed. 
4.  The  compound  is  decomposed  by  warming  ;  the  longer  dialysing 
has  been  continued,  the  lower  is  the  temperature  of  decomposition  ; 
500  was  the  lowest  point  noticed  when  distilled  water  was  used  in 
dialysing. 
5.  The  decomposition  temperature  is  raised  not  only  by  the  addition, 
of  acid  or  alkali,  but  also  by  neutral  salts. 
There  is  no  difference  between  the  albumin  obtained  from  this  com- 
pound by  the  action  of  alkalis,  and  that  found  combined  with  alkalis 
in  genuine  egg-white. 
The  third  part  of  this  paper  discusses  the  influence  of  alkalis  and 
of  acids  upon  albumins.  It  is  shown  that  the  quantity  of  acid  or  of 
alkali  required  to  keep  alb.umin  in  solution,  on  boiling,  is  influenced  by 
the  presence  of  neutral  salts  (NaCl  was  chiefly  examined) ;  that  with  a 
small  quantity  of  sodium  chloride  the  solvent  influence  of  acids  is 
marked,  but  with  a  large  quantity  of  sodium  chloride  alkalis  exercise 
a  more  distinctly  solvent  action.  The  albumin  remains  in  these  cases 
in  the  uncoagulated  form.  The  stronger  acids,  as  nitric,  exercise  a 
more  marked  solvent  action  than  the  weaker,  as  acetic,  in  the  presence 
of  an  unvarying  quantity  of  sodium  chloride.  Tables  are  given,  con- 
taining the  results  of  experiments  with  different  acids  and  varying 
quantities  of  salts,  especially  sodium  and  calcium  chlorides,  upon  al- 
bumin.-— j^our.  Chem.  Soc,  August,  from  Pfluger's  Arch.  f.  PhysioL 
xii,  549-596-, 
