32         Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.    {A  j^aryfigoi.111' 
purities.  The  dried  (ioo°  C.)  material  from  a  cargo  will  assay  from 
50  to  55  per  cent,  of  metallic  manganese.  The  moisture  varies  from 
10  to  20  per  cent.  The  quality  seems  to  be  the  same  deeper  down 
in  the  mine.  It  is  estimated  that  the  amount  of  ore  in  sight  on  one 
property  is  2,000,000  tons.  The  ore  outcrops  on  hills;  can  be 
mined  without  motive  power,  and  run  directly  into  railway  bins, 
without  picking,  by  means  of  shoots. — H.  K.  Scott,  Iron  and  Steel 
Inst.,  spring  meeting,  1 900.  L.  F.  K. 
CHEMICAL  COMPOSITION  OF  SALA  AMALGAM. 
The  oldest  known  natural  silver  amalgam  is  found  at  Sala, 
Sweden.  Two  distinct  varieties  have  been  analyzed,  correspond- 
ing to  the  formula  Ag2Hg3  and  Ag5Hg6.  The  gold  amalgams  of 
Columbia  and  California  correspond  to  the  formula  Au2Hg3. 
— H.  Sjogren,  from  Chem.  Ztg.  Rep.,  1900,  24,  151.         L.  F.  K. 
THE  PROTEOLYTIC  ENZYME  OF  GERMINATED  BARLEY. 
Whether  germinated  barley  contains  a  proteolytic  enzyme  or  not 
is  a  much  mooted  question.  Eminent  investigators  have  arrived  at 
different  results.  The  workers  below,  being  dissatisfied  with  the 
present  state  of  affairs,  determined  to  remove  the  darkness  if  possi- 
ble. A  10  per  cent,  solution  of  gelatine  was  treated  with  the  sub- 
stance under  examination.  The  material  was  rendered  antiseptic 
by  means  of  thymol  and  the  mixture  kept  in  an  incubator  at  20° 
to  400  C.  The  gelatine  solution  was  cooled  from  time  to  time  to 
5°  C.  and  examined  for  the  first  appearance  of  liquefaction  at  this 
temperature.  It  was  found  that  an  enzyme  capable  of  liquefying 
gelatine  is  certainly  present  in  malt.  The  enzyme  may  be  extracted 
by  very  dilute  acetic  acid  or  digestion  with  water  at  any  tempera- 
ture below  320  C.  It  is  almost,  if  not  quite,  destroyed  by  mashing 
at  700  C. 
The  presence  of  acetic  acid  favors  its  growth,  but  liquefaction 
of  gelatine  is  much  more  rapid  if  the  extract  is  slightly  alkaline. 
The  enzyme  appears  to  be  of  a  trypsin  nature.  Only  traces  of  the 
enzyme  occur  in  the  ungerminated  barley,  but  the  increase  is  marked 
when  germination  begins  and  continues  until  the  seedling  be- 
comes green. — W.  Windisch  and  B.  Schellhorn,  Woch.  fur  Brau., 
1900,  23,  334.  L.  F.  K. 
