Am.  Jour,  Pharm 
Nov.,  i{  80 
Chemistry  of  Bast  Fibres. 
559 
ihas  an  odor  closely  resembling  ihat  of  tetrachloroquinone.  It  further 
resembles  this  compound  in  dissolving  in  ammonia  to  a  purple  solution, 
changing  to  brown  on  standing.  The  analogies  of  this  body  to  the 
-quinone  derivatives  are  unmistakable  ;  the  authors  are  therefore  able  to 
confirm  Hugo  MUller's  observation  of  the  presence  of  a  body  having 
the  reaction  of  a  quinune  in  the  intercellular  substance  of  bast  fibres. 
The  most  striking  reaction  of  this  derivative  is  the  development  of  a 
pure  Magenta  purple  color,  of  great  brilliancy  when  treated  with  a 
•solution  of  sodium  sulphite.  This  is  best  seen  in  the  freshly  chlorin- 
ated fibre  ;  all  bast  fibres  examined  by  the  authors  (flax,  hemp,  manilla, 
etc.,)  gave  the  same  coloration  after  chlorination.  Upon  the  reactions 
of  these  bodies  the  method  for  the  isolation  of  cellulose  proposed  by  the 
authors  was  based,  the  chlorine  body  being  converted  by  the  sodium 
sulphite  into  soluble  (reduction)  products.  Being  a  recent  observation 
it  is  still  under  investigation. 
A  similar  derivative  was  obtained  from  esparto.  The  brown  solu- 
tion, obtained  by  heating  the  substance  under  pressure  with  an  alkaline 
lye,  yields  a  flocculent  precipitate  when  neutralized.  After  purification 
by  twice  dissolving  in  glacial  acetic  acid,  and  reprecipitating  by  water, 
it  has  the  aggregate  co.nposition  Co^Hg^Og  (it  contains  also  1*2  per  cent, 
nitrogen).  This  body,  on  heating  with  hydrochloric  acid  and  potassium 
chlorate,  yields  the  chlorine  derivative,  Q^^W^fi^^m  which  is  also  to 
be  regarded  as  formed  from  a  complicated  quinone. 
The  quinone  of  the  jute  fibre  appears  to  be  associated  with  a  carbo- 
hydrate. By  the  action  of  dilute  sulphuric  acid  (5  per  cent.)  at  80°,  a 
soluble  carbohydrate  is  formed,  and  is  obtained  after  purification  as  a 
broivn,  sticky,  hygroscopic  solid,  having  the  composition  C^g^igOg. 
As  no  other  products  are  formed  the  aromatic  portion  of  the  fibre 
resisting  the  action  of  the  acid,  and  the  loss  of  weight  (23  per  cent,  in 
a  certain  case)  falling  to  a  large  extent  on  the  intercellular  substance, 
this,  it  must  be  inferred,  contains  a  carbohydrate.  The  same  conclu- 
sion is  arrived  at  by  a  study  of  the  action  of  alkalies  on  the  fibre  and 
of  a  peculiar  fermentation,  which  is  induced  under  certain  conditions 
of  moisture  and  high  temperature  by  which  this  portion  undergoes 
resolution.  The  carbohydrate,  associated  with  the  quinone,  is  rather 
of  the  nature  of  cellulose  than  glucose  ;  the  fact  that  by  a  certain 
decomposition  of  the  intercellular  substance  the  yield  of  cellulose  is 
increased,  goes  to  show  that  a  portion  of  the  "aggregate"  cellulose 
obtained  is  a  product  of  such  decomposition.    The  authors  therefore 
