82 ABSTRACTS OF OHEMICAL PAPERS. Chemistry of Vegetable Physiology and Agriculture. Formation of Nitrites during Nitrification of Ammoniacal Solutians. By J. M. H. MUNRO (Chem. News, 56, 62--64).-Gayon and Dnpetit have suggested that the nitrite formed during nitri- fication is produced by reduction of previously formed nitrate ; they suppose the nitrifying organism either to acquire reducing powers by living a t the bottom of a solution, or else that it is not pure but mixed with denitrifjing bacteria, and that the nitrate reduced by one or other of these, supplies oxygen for the oxidation of organio matter present in the solut'ian. The present experiments disprove this and show (1) that a solution of potassium nitrate, seeded with soil from a recently nihified solution, develaps no nitrite even though kept for a year in a stoppered bottle; (2) that a solution of ammonium chloride, seeded with the same soil, and with no other added organic matter, formed nitrite in increasiiig quantities fn,m the third day to the 139th, when almost all the ammoniacal nitiogen was present in that form, afterwards pasaing into nitrate ; (3) that a solution containing both potrassium nitrate and ammonium chloride (3KN03 + NHICl) seeded with the same soil, ran through exactly the same course aa the preoeding.If an organism were present capable of reducing nitrate to nitrite with simultaneous oxidation of ammonia to nitrite, four times the quantity of nitrite produced in the preceding case could theoretically be formed : instead of this, the amounts were almost exactly equal, and both a little under that corresponding to the whole of the amrnoniacal nitrogen.The author concludes that the nitrite i s formed by oxidation of the ammonia, J. M. H. M. Chemical Nature of Aristoloohia Serpentaria, By M. SPICA (Gazzetta, 17, 3 13-316) .-The Aristolochia serpentaria (Virginia snake-root) grows in the southern part of North America, especially in the mountainous districts of Carolina and Virginia ; various preparations of its roots are used medicinally aa febrifuges. Its chemical nature has previously been examined by Buchholz, Chepallier, and others, who have obtained besides other products a volatile ail, On distilling the ethereal extract of the root in a current of steam, a yellowish-green oil is obtained, heavier than water, and having an odour resembling that of camphor and valerian.This oil, after treatment with potash, is caoled by a freezing mixture, which causes the separation o f a crystalline stearoptene ; t h i s melts at 198", boils at 212", and is shown by chemical analysis and its physical properties to be borneol. No very definife product could be obtained from the oil from which the borseol had thus been separated. V. H. V. Constituents of Scopolia Root. By H. HEYSCHKE (Chew!. Ceutr., 1887, 108'7--10~8).-Scopolia japonica, or Japanese belladonna,VEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE. 83 is a species of Solanaceae indigenous to Japan and China. Two alkaloids are manufactured commercially from its roots, namely, scopole'ine and roto'ine, and Eijkman has obtained two substances, a glucoside, scopolin, and scopoletin, its decomposition product.It is here shown that the rootl of the plant contains no peculiar alkaloyd, but the three my driatic alkalojids, atmpine, hyoscyamine, and hyoscine in variable proportions. Commercial rotoyne is not a distinct base, bnt a mixture of the sodium salts of fatty acids of high molecular weight. The fluorescent substance, scopolet.in, obtained by Eij kmann, is identical with the so-called chrysatropic acid of Kunz, whilst it is further probable that it is identical with methylssculetin. V. H. V. Oil of Lallemantia Iberica. By I;. RICHTER (Lnndw. Versuchs- Stat., 34, 383--390).-l'he oil expressed from the seeds of LaZZe- mantin iberica (Fisch et May) has the property of being the most rapidly " drying " of all known oils.The ethereal extract of the seeds may be completely decolorised by animal charcoal, and on evaporation of the ether, a pale-yellow oil is obtainable which after some time becomes slightly opaque ; the opacity may be removed by filtration, when a clear fat of faint but acrid odour, whose taste resembles that of linseed oil, is left on the filter. The oil is insoluble in cold, but readily soluble in hot alcohol, insoluble in cold acetic acid (1.0643). The sp. gr. of the oil is 0.9386 at 20', and its solidifying point -35" ; the free fatty acids melt at 22.2", and resolidify a t 11.0". When exposed to the air for five days, a crust is formed at the edge of the liquid, but complete resinification, or "drying," occurs in 24 hours, after it has been heated a t 150" for three hours.Casselman states that complete drying of linseed oil only occurs after 36 to 48 hours' heating at 150"; poppy oil requires four to five days, and hemp oil still longer. It behaves towards nascent nitrous acid in the same manner as linseed oil, a dark-red doughy mass being produced. Mixed with concentrated sulphuric acid, the temperature rises to 102" and even to 120". According to v. Hiibl's method, the oil purified from fat, unites with 162.1 grams of iodine per 100 grams oil, whilst the fat com- bines with 166.7 grams of iodine. No other oil approaches closely to thi8 figure except linseed. As the absorption of iodine by the oil corresponds with its facility for drying, it was necessary to estimate the amount of oxygen absorbable; this was done by Livache's process, when it was found that the oil absorbed 15.81 per cent. of oxygen in one day, whilst the fatty acid absorbed 16.58 per cent.in 28 days; linseed absorbs 14.3 per cent. in two days, and its fatty acid 11 per cent. in eight days. Hehner's and West-Knight's methods for determining the percentage of insoluble fatty acids in the oil were both used, the former method showed the presence of 93.3 per cent., and the latter 54 per cent., and the volatile oil (Reichert's method) amounted to 1.55. The figures representing saponitiability (KO ttstorfer) were 184.9 (milligramP KHO), and 9-75 per cent. of glycerol was found, corresponding with y B84 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS. 99.74 per cent. of glycerides.The lead salt was used to cause separation of the liquid and solid fatty acids, when it was found that clf the latter there was 6.55 per cent. and of the former 9345 per cent,. present. The quantitative reactions me given in the .original. When grown as a field mop, Lallemahtia yielded 2031 kilos. seed and 6314 kilos. straw per 'hectare. E. W. P. Are Nitrates indispensdble for the Growth of Field Crops ? By 0. PITRCH (Lmdw. Ters.uchs-;Stmt., 34, 21 7--258).--The carefuIly conducted experiments for the elucidation of the above question appear to be most satisfactory, and the decision arrived at is that a t anyrnte barley, oats, beans, and wheat can and do grow in a soil absolutely destitute of nitrates, free from all nitrifying bacteria, but in which nitrogenous manures are present? as ammonium sulphate.The experiments were made during two seasons, and all the precau- tions taken, the progress of the various plants grown, and the apparatns employed aTe fully detailed. I n outline, a rich soil was fimt heated in an oil-bath to destroy a l l bacteria, then thoroughly washed fby upward displacement, to free it from all nitrates, again heated and then placed, the first year, in 1arge"beab-er glasses, and in the second season in iron vessels 62 cm. x 25 em. ; the seeds were sown, and a thick covering of cotton wool placedton the surface of the soil in ;t suitable holder of wire net, so as to preveat access of all aerial spores ; distilled water was used for watering by a special method described in full, whereby tbe water was admitted from below.Two sets of such yessels and fieeds were emplojed. To the soils used in the first year, bicalcium potassium phosphates and ammonium sulphate wei=e added, both to t,he original and to the parallel sets, the difference between the two being that the soil of the8parallel sets was neither heated nor covered over with cotton wool. I n the second year, however, the soil under- went the same process in both sets, but in place of arnmon'ium sulphate being added to the controlling sets, sodium nitrate was added, and no cottcn wool used. The results in both years were, however, similar, namely, that the growth of the plants under such peculiar conditions as total absence of nitrates was not largely affected-certainly there was a difference, but not a t all remarkable ; .the plants were able to grow healthily, but perhaps not robnstly without ally nitrates.It was notioed that those plants which could obtain no nitrates, but had to be content with nitrogen in other forms, came to a standstill for LL short time early in their growth, and after a short period of rest, again grew normally. The author tried to account for this in the first year, by the fact that as the manure had not been mixed thoroughly with the soil throughout its whole depth, the lower roots were unable to obtain nitrogen, c3onseq.czent.ly n o growth was made until new roots were formed higher up, but a h r the experiments of the second season had been made, he was obliged to abandon this theory, for although he had mixed the manure thoroughly with the soil, yet this arrest of growth again occurred, whilst no such effect was produced in the soil containing nitrates.E. W. P.ANALYTICAL CEERZISTRP. 85 Agricultural Experiments. By J. RAUL~N (Compt. rend., 105, 411-424).-1n order to avoid, i n agricultural experiments, errors due to differences between the naturd fertility of contiguous patches of soil, the experimental plot should be divided i n k three rectangular sections, A, B, and C, which are h a t e d separately. As a rule, the results with A and C differ, and in a few cases the differences are quite irregular. Usually, however, the fertility of the plot varies gradually, so that the mean of A and C is practically identical with H , Experiments made in this way show that superphosphates and precipitated calcium phosphate prodnce a distinct increase in the wheat crop, whilst with fossil phosphates.and with slags the results are doubtful, the apparent inwease not being greater than the variations between the three sections of the plot. C. H. B.82 ABSTRACTS OF OHEMICAL PAPERS.Chemistry of Vegetable Physiology and Agriculture.Formation of Nitrites during Nitrification of AmmoniacalSolutians. By J. M. H. MUNRO (Chem. News, 56, 62--64).-Gayonand Dnpetit have suggested that the nitrite formed during nitri-fication is produced by reduction of previously formed nitrate ;they suppose the nitrifying organism either to acquire reducingpowers by living a t the bottom of a solution, or else that it is notpure but mixed with denitrifjing bacteria, and that the nitratereduced by one or other of these, supplies oxygen for the oxidation oforganio matter present in the solut'ian.The present experimentsdisprove this and show (1) that a solution of potassium nitrate,seeded with soil from a recently nihified solution, develaps nonitrite even though kept for a year in a stoppered bottle; (2) thata solution of ammonium chloride, seeded with the same soil, and withno other added organic matter, formed nitrite in increasiiig quantitiesfn,m the third day to the 139th, when almost all the ammoniacalnitiogen was present in that form, afterwards pasaing into nitrate ;(3) that a solution containing both potrassium nitrate and ammoniumchloride (3KN03 + NHICl) seeded with the same soil, ran throughexactly the same course aa the preoeding.If an organism werepresent capable of reducing nitrate to nitrite with simultaneousoxidation of ammonia to nitrite, four times the quantity of nitriteproduced in the preceding case could theoretically be formed : insteadof this, the amounts were almost exactly equal, and both a little underthat corresponding to the whole of the amrnoniacal nitrogen. Theauthor concludes that the nitrite i s formed by oxidation of theammonia, J. M. H. M.Chemical Nature of Aristoloohia Serpentaria, By M. SPICA(Gazzetta, 17, 3 13-316) .-The Aristolochia serpentaria (Virginiasnake-root) grows in the southern part of North America, especiallyin the mountainous districts of Carolina and Virginia ; variouspreparations of its roots are used medicinally aa febrifuges.Itschemical nature has previously been examined by Buchholz,Chepallier, and others, who have obtained besides other products avolatile ail, On distilling the ethereal extract of the root in acurrent of steam, a yellowish-green oil is obtained, heavier than water,and having an odour resembling that of camphor and valerian.This oil, after treatment with potash, is caoled by a freezing mixture,which causes the separation o f a crystalline stearoptene ; t h i s meltsat 198", boils at 212", and is shown by chemical analysis and itsphysical properties to be borneol. No very definife product could beobtained from the oil from which the borseol had thus beenseparated. V. H. V.Constituents of Scopolia Root.By H. HEYSCHKE (Chew!.Ceutr., 1887, 108'7--10~8).-Scopolia japonica, or Japanese belladonnaVEGETABLE PHYSIOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE. 83is a species of Solanaceae indigenous to Japan and China. Twoalkaloids are manufactured commercially from its roots, namely,scopole'ine and roto'ine, and Eijkman has obtained two substances,a glucoside, scopolin, and scopoletin, its decomposition product.It is here shown that the rootl of the plant contains no peculiaralkaloyd, but the three my driatic alkalojids, atmpine, hyoscyamine,and hyoscine in variable proportions.Commercial rotoyne is not a distinct base, bnt a mixture of thesodium salts of fatty acids of high molecular weight. The fluorescentsubstance, scopolet.in, obtained by Eij kmann, is identical with theso-called chrysatropic acid of Kunz, whilst it is further probablethat it is identical with methylssculetin. V.H. V.Oil of Lallemantia Iberica. By I;. RICHTER (Lnndw. Versuchs-Stat., 34, 383--390).-l'he oil expressed from the seeds of LaZZe-mantin iberica (Fisch et May) has the property of being the mostrapidly " drying " of all known oils. The ethereal extract of theseeds may be completely decolorised by animal charcoal, and onevaporation of the ether, a pale-yellow oil is obtainable which aftersome time becomes slightly opaque ; the opacity may be removed byfiltration, when a clear fat of faint but acrid odour, whose tasteresembles that of linseed oil, is left on the filter. The oil is insolublein cold, but readily soluble in hot alcohol, insoluble in cold acetic acid(1.0643).The sp. gr. of the oil is 0.9386 at 20', and its solidifyingpoint -35" ; the free fatty acids melt at 22.2", and resolidify a t 11.0".When exposed to the air for five days, a crust is formed at the edgeof the liquid, but complete resinification, or "drying," occurs in24 hours, after it has been heated a t 150" for three hours. Casselmanstates that complete drying of linseed oil only occurs after 36 to 48hours' heating at 150"; poppy oil requires four to five days, and hempoil still longer.It behaves towards nascent nitrous acid in the same manner aslinseed oil, a dark-red doughy mass being produced. Mixed withconcentrated sulphuric acid, the temperature rises to 102" and evento 120".According to v.Hiibl's method, the oil purified from fat, uniteswith 162.1 grams of iodine per 100 grams oil, whilst the fat com-bines with 166.7 grams of iodine. No other oil approaches closelyto thi8 figure except linseed. As the absorption of iodine bythe oil corresponds with its facility for drying, it was necessaryto estimate the amount of oxygen absorbable; this was done byLivache's process, when it was found that the oil absorbed 15.81per cent. of oxygen in one day, whilst the fatty acid absorbed16.58 per cent. in 28 days; linseed absorbs 14.3 per cent. intwo days, and its fatty acid 11 per cent. in eight days. Hehner'sand West-Knight's methods for determining the percentage ofinsoluble fatty acids in the oil were both used, the former methodshowed the presence of 93.3 per cent., and the latter 54 per cent., andthe volatile oil (Reichert's method) amounted to 1.55.The figuresrepresenting saponitiability (KO ttstorfer) were 184.9 (milligramPKHO), and 9-75 per cent. of glycerol was found, corresponding withy 84 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS.99.74 per cent. of glycerides. The lead salt was used to causeseparation of the liquid and solid fatty acids, when it was found thatclf the latter there was 6.55 per cent. and of the former 9345 percent,. present.The quantitative reactions me given in the .original.When grown as a field mop, Lallemahtia yielded 2031 kilos. seedand 6314 kilos. straw per 'hectare. E. W. P.Are Nitrates indispensdble for the Growth of Field Crops ?By 0.PITRCH (Lmdw. Ters.uchs-;Stmt., 34, 21 7--258).--The carefuIlyconducted experiments for the elucidation of the above questionappear to be most satisfactory, and the decision arrived at is that a tanyrnte barley, oats, beans, and wheat can and do grow in a soilabsolutely destitute of nitrates, free from all nitrifying bacteria, butin which nitrogenous manures are present? as ammonium sulphate.The experiments were made during two seasons, and all the precau-tions taken, the progress of the various plants grown, and the apparatnsemployed aTe fully detailed. I n outline, a rich soil was fimt heated inan oil-bath to destroy a l l bacteria, then thoroughly washed fby upwarddisplacement, to free it from all nitrates, again heated and then placed,the first year, in 1arge"beab-er glasses, and in the second season in ironvessels 62 cm.x 25 em. ; the seeds were sown, and a thick coveringof cotton wool placedton the surface of the soil in ;t suitable holder ofwire net, so as to preveat access of all aerial spores ; distilled waterwas used for watering by a special method described in full, wherebytbe water was admitted from below. Two sets of such yessels andfieeds were emplojed. To the soils used in the first year, bicalciumpotassium phosphates and ammonium sulphate wei=e added, both tot,he original and to the parallel sets, the difference between the twobeing that the soil of the8parallel sets was neither heated nor coveredover with cotton wool. I n the second year, however, the soil under-went the same process in both sets, but in place of arnmon'ium sulphatebeing added to the controlling sets, sodium nitrate was added, and nocottcn wool used.The results in both years were, however, similar,namely, that the growth of the plants under such peculiar conditionsas total absence of nitrates was not largely affected-certainly therewas a difference, but not a t all remarkable ; .the plants were able togrow healthily, but perhaps not robnstly without ally nitrates. It wasnotioed that those plants which could obtain no nitrates, but had tobe content with nitrogen in other forms, came to a standstill for LLshort time early in their growth, and after a short period of rest,again grew normally. The author tried to account for this in thefirst year, by the fact that as the manure had not been mixed thoroughlywith the soil throughout its whole depth, the lower roots were unableto obtain nitrogen, c3onseq.czent.ly n o growth was made until new rootswere formed higher up, but a h r the experiments of the second seasonhad been made, he was obliged to abandon this theory, for althoughhe had mixed the manure thoroughly with the soil, yet this arrest ofgrowth again occurred, whilst no such effect was produced in thesoil containing nitrates. E. W. PANALYTICAL CEERZISTRP. 85Agricultural Experiments. By J. RAUL~N (Compt. rend., 105,411-424).-1n order to avoid, i n agricultural experiments, errors dueto differences between the naturd fertility of contiguous patches ofsoil, the experimental plot should be divided i n k three rectangularsections, A, B, and C, which are h a t e d separately. As a rule, theresults with A and C differ, and in a few cases the differences arequite irregular. Usually, however, the fertility of the plot variesgradually, so that the mean of A and C is practically identical with H ,Experiments made in this way show that superphosphates andprecipitated calcium phosphate prodnce a distinct increase in thewheat crop, whilst with fossil phosphates. and with slags the resultsare doubtful, the apparent inwease not being greater than thevariations between the three sections of the plot. C. H. B