432 
Proteids  of  Maize. 
<  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I        Aug.,  1892. 
tion  is  treated  with  10  per  cent,  of  sodium  chloride,  and  rendered 
slightly  acid  with  0-2  per  cent,  hydrochloric  acid.  The  precipitated 
albumin  (I)  dissolves  when  washed  with  water,  doubtless  owing  to 
the  presence  of  hydrochloric  acid  ;  it  is  reprecipitated  when  the 
solution  is  carefully  neutralized  with  dilute  sodium  carbonate,  but 
dissolves  in  excess  of  the  latter;  after  drying,  this  precipitate  is  no 
longer  soluble  in  sodium  carbonate. 
The  filtrate  from  (I),  when  boiled,  yields  a  coagulum  of  a  second 
albumin  (II)  ;  the  portion  first  formed  contains  appreciably  less 
nitrogen  than  the  later  portions. 
The  filtrate  from  (II)  contains  a  proteose(III)  which  may  be  obtained 
by  adding  absolute  alcohol  to  the  concentrated  solution.  It  is 
doubtful  if  these  three  substances  all  exist  as  such  in  the  maize  ker- 
nel ;  some  of  them  may  be  formed  in  the  processes  used  to  separate 
them. 
The  maize  meal,  after  extraction  with  water,  contains  another 
proteid,  ze'm,  or  maize-fibrin  (IV),  which  can  be  extracted  with  warm 
75  per  cent,  alcohol,  and  is  precipitated  when  the  alcoholic  solution 
is  poured  into  water.  It  is  quite  insoluble  in  0-5  per  cent,  sodium 
carbonate,  and  in  02  per  cent,  hydrochloric  acid  ;  it  dissolves  in  0-2 
per  cent,  aqueous  potash,  but  is  not  converted  into  alkali-albumin, 
for  the  precipitate  produced  when  the  alkaline  solution  is  neutralized 
is  not  soluble  in  excess  of  dilute  acid,  but  dissolves  in  alcohol.  It  , 
is  converted,  when  warmed  with  water  or  dilute  alcohol,  into  an 
insoluble  variety,  which,  however,  has  the  same  chemical  composi- 
tion. Both  of  these  varieties  exhibit  the  ordinary  proteid  reactions. 
The  carbon-content  of  this  proteid  is  large. 
The  results  of  analyses  of  these  substances  are  tabulated  below  : 
I. 
II. 
III. 
IV. 
c,  .  .  .  . 
H,  ... 
N,  ... 
s,  ... 
0,  ... 
52-86—53-53 
6-86—  6-79 
i5'69-i5"4i 
1-48 
23-26 
51-02—52-06 
6'57—  6-79 
17-28-1578 
1 2575—24-641 
50-07—51-13 
6-54—69-1 
15.88—16-59 
2-37—  1-62 
24-52—23-75 
54-97— 55  "42 
7'i5—  7'35 
i6-oi — 16-31 
o'53—  0-67 
21*05 — 20-52 
