86 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS. P h y s i o l o g i c a l C h e m i s t r y . Digestion of Cellulose. By W. HE~EBEW and F.. STORMARK (Zsit. Biol., 21, 613-6'24) .--The author's discussion of this subject has special reference to the recent investigations of Tappeiaer (ibid., 20, 52), which have shown that the main products of fer- mentation of cellnlose, excluding the gases, are acetic and butyric acids. Having po'intcd out certain errors in the statement of the results of his experiments, they substitute the following :- Carbonic anhydride .......... 33.63 Marsh-gas, .................... 4.70 Hydrogen ... .................. 0.33 Butgric acid.. ................ 33.63 Acetic acid .................. 33-51 Tetal products.. .... 105.82 which may be summed up in the equation- 21C6H,,05 + 11H20 = 26C02 + IOCH, + 6H2 + P9C,H40a + In regard to the utilisation of malacdarr energy, the above resolution may be expressed as under :- 13CdHsO~.100 grams cellulose (100 x a146 >... ......... 414,600 cal. 33.5 Carbonic anhydride ................ 0 4.7 Marsh-gas (4.7 x 13344) .......... 62717 336 Acetic acid (336 x 3505) .......... 117768 33.6 Butyric acid (33-6 x 5647) ......... 189739 Heat of resolution ...................... 44376 414600 Supposing with Tappeiner that the marsh-gas is excreted directly,PHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. 87 which, however, is by no means certain, and consequently that the corresponding amount of energy, 15 per cent. of the whole, is lost to the organism, cellulose would still seem to be a food-stuff of high value, apart from any subsidiary mechanical functions which it may perform in digestion. The authors have assumed the correctness of Tappeiner’s experi- mental results as the basis of this discussion ; at the same time they do not admit that he has established his position.There is still a probability that in the bydrolysis of cellulose intermediate products belonging to the carbohydrate group are formed, which, at least in The Presence of Glycogen in the Protozoa. By 0. B~~TSCHLI (Zeit. B i d , 21, 603-612) .-The author’s experiments were under- taken as a confirmation of previous investigations which have been recently criticised by Frenzel (Arch. f. Mikr. Anat., 24, 545). The subject in question is the composition of the granules. of the entoplasm of the gragorinae.From a number of qualitative results (of a some- what indefinite character), the author concludes that the substance composing these granules is glycogen, or a compound of similar nature (“ paraglycogen ”). The author has identified such a substance also in the infusoria Nyctotherns, Ovalis, and Strombidium, confirming, therefore, the observations of Certes (Compt. rend., 90, 70). Albuminoi’d Substance in Urine. By F. M~~LLER (Chem. Centr., 188Fi, 597--598).-l’his substance is precipitated from urine by acetic acid, and is regarded as a modification of albumin by the author, as it is precipitated both by magnesium sulphate, and on boiling; moreover it resembles other albumino’id bodies in its behnviour with nitric acid. P. P. B. Amount of Volatile Acids in the Excrements of Ruminants. By H.WILSING (Zeit. B i d , 21, 625--630).-The author’s experiments were undertaken as a development of Tappeiner’s observations on the formation of acetic and butyric acids as the main products of the digestive hydrolysis of cellulose. The subject of the experiments was a goat receiving 1.5 kilo. meadow hay per diem ; the results obtained are Fsummarised in the following table :- part, are directly assimilated. c. 3‘. c. C. F. C. Experiment. I . . . . . . . . I1 .. .. *. .. 111 .. *. .. .. IV v . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Total in 24 hours. 992 830 81 5 1241 812 Urine. Fseces. Volatile acids. Total. 2-937 2 854 1-444 3 -711 1 *a59 Excl. HCl + PhSCOOH. 2 -201 2 -1’75 0 *935 2 -934 1 -270 Total in 24 hours. ? ? 565 668 ? Vol. acids.-- 1 ’802 1 -802 1 ‘800 1 -803 1 -802 Aggregate. Vol. fatty acids. -- 4 -003 3 *997 2 ‘735 4 9-37 3 -07288 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS. The hay contained 25.9 “crude fibre,” of which 60 per cent. was found to disappear in the process of digestion, whence, the author states, 233 grams ceZZuZose are digested in the 24 hours; and as this quantity would yield, according to Tappeiner’s observations, 15 7 grams volatile fatty acids, it is seen that of the latter 97.4 per cent. Abstractor’s Note.-It is to be observed that agricultural chemists continue to apply the term cellulose collectively to plant fibres, disregarding the variations in composition of the fibre substance. Pathological Urine. By A. VILLIERS (J. Phurm. [ 5 ] , 11, 246- 249).-Contrary to Bouchard and Pouchet, the author finds that normal urine never contains alkaloids.Operating always on two litres, he first evaporated by heat, then in a vacuum, took up the residue with absolute alcohol, evaporated the filtered alcoholic solution in a vacuum, and took up this second residue with a drop of water. In this solution, the alkaloids were detected by alternate precipitation with an alkaline carbonate in presence of ether, and re-solution in water acidified with hydrochloric acid. When care was takea to obtain normal urine, the results were always negative, but alkalo’ids were found in the urine when the subject was sujfering from a slight att,ack of bronchitis, indisposition with fever, measles, pneumonia, abscess in the head ; in one case of tetanus, alkaloids were not found.Physiological Action of Rubidium Salts. By C. RICHET (Conzpt. rend., 101, 667--669).-The toxic effect of rubidium chloride depends on the mode of introduction into the system. If the solution is injected under the skin, the minimum fatal dose is about 1 gram per kilo. of body weight, but if injected directly into the veins, about 0.5-0-6 gram per kilo. of body weight is sufficient to cause death. In both cases the poison acts directly on the heart aiid stops its movements. Physiological Action of Salts of Lithium, Potassium, and Rubidium. By C. RICHET (Compt. rend., 101, 707-710).-Aqueous solutions of the chlorides of the three metals were injected under the skin of various animals, and the minimum dose sufficient to cause death was determined.The effects of lithium chloride appear very slowly, hut the action of rubidium and potassium chlorides is evident in a few hours. Leaving out crayfish, which are very easily poisoned by the chlorides, and snails, which offer considerable resistance to their action, i t was found that the minimum fatal dose per kilo. of body weight was practically the same for teuch, tortoises, frogs, pigeons, guinea-pigs, and rabbits, being 0.1 gram for lithium,* 0.5 for potassium, and 1.0 for rubidium. These numbers are almost in exactly the same ratio as the atomic weights of the three metals, namely, 7, 39, and 85. In* other words, lithium, potassium. and rubidium, if taken in molecular proportion instead of in equal weights, * These numbers represent, not the amount of chloride, but the amount of metal in the form of chloride. are assimilated, and 2.6 per cent.only excreted. c. I?. c. J. T. Rubihum is less poisonous than potassium. C. H. B.PHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. 89 are equally poisonous. It would seem, therefore, that the toxic action is really a chemical action, and it is probable that these three chlorides act by displacing, molecule for molecule, the sodium chloride present in the tissues. C. H. B. Physiological Action of Liebig's Extract of Meat. By K. B. LEHMANN (Chem. Centr., 1885, 665).--Neither this extract nor potassium salts, even when taken in large doses, have a specific action on the rate, strength, or regularity of the pulse. The action which has been observed is only the general reflex action of all salts on the stomach and intestines.The cont,inued consumption of large quantities of the extmct, even up t o 1 per cent. of the whole weight, of the body, had not an ill, but apparently a very favourable effect. L. T. T. Adipocere. By E. ZILLNER (Chena. Centr., .1885,441-442).-From the results of several minute microscopical and chemical investiga- tions the author concludes that adipocere is formed from the various fats present in the body at the moment of death, and that the albuminoi'ds do not play any part in this transformation. After a few months' putrefaction, the animal tissues are no longer impervious to the transmission of the fat, which then wanders and collects in masses, there to undergo further decomposition, and eventually lose its glycerol and oleic acid, leaving a crystallised fatty acid behind.To this end thorough moistening of the corpse is necessary to carry away mechanically the liquid products. As the crystallised acid occupies a much greater space than the amorphous form, the apparent transformation of parts of the body into fat is explained. J. K. C. Post-mortem Imbibition of Arsenic. By F. S. Srrmoiv (Amer. Chem. J., 7, 75--87).-But little is known of the distributiou of arsenic and other poisons when introduced into the body after death, it being generally assumed that the transfusion of arsenic is prevented by the sulphuretted hydrogen evolved by the decomposition. That it can travel t o the liver and some other viscera when injected into the stomach or rectum has been pointed out, but whether it can reach the brain is a contended point ; if this is impossible, and Scolosuboff's stahement that arsenic is deposited during life in the brain and spinal cord is true, then a means is afforded of distinguishing between poisoning by arsenic and post-mortem injections containing it.The author made injections of 3 grains arsenious oxide into the stomach and rectuni of dogs killed by chloroform 24 hours previously, and found that after burial for periods of from 3 to 102 days, arsenic could be detected in the liver, the kidneys, and the brain, and that the longer the time of burial, the greater was the quantity of arsenic, especially in the case of the brain. H. B.86 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS.P h y s i o l o g i c a l C h e m i s t r y .Digestion of Cellulose. By W.HE~EBEW and F.. STORMARK(Zsit. Biol., 21, 613-6'24) .--The author's discussion of this subjecthas special reference to the recent investigations of Tappeiaer(ibid., 20, 52), which have shown that the main products of fer-mentation of cellnlose, excluding the gases, are acetic and butyricacids. Having po'intcd out certain errors in the statement of theresults of his experiments, they substitute the following :-Carbonic anhydride .......... 33.63Marsh-gas, .................... 4.70Hydrogen ... .................. 0.33Butgric acid.. ................ 33.63Acetic acid .................. 33-51Tetal products.. .... 105.82which may be summed up in the equation-21C6H,,05 + 11H20 = 26C02 + IOCH, + 6H2 + P9C,H40a +In regard to the utilisation of malacdarr energy, the above resolutionmay be expressed as under :-13CdHsO~.100 grams cellulose (100 x a146 >............ 414,600 cal.33.5 Carbonic anhydride ................ 04.7 Marsh-gas (4.7 x 13344) .......... 62717336 Acetic acid (336 x 3505) .......... 11776833.6 Butyric acid (33-6 x 5647) ......... 189739Heat of resolution ...................... 44376414600Supposing with Tappeiner that the marsh-gas is excreted directlyPHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. 87which, however, is by no means certain, and consequently that thecorresponding amount of energy, 15 per cent. of the whole, is lost tothe organism, cellulose would still seem to be a food-stuff of highvalue, apart from any subsidiary mechanical functions which it mayperform in digestion.The authors have assumed the correctness of Tappeiner’s experi-mental results as the basis of this discussion ; at the same time theydo not admit that he has established his position.There is still aprobability that in the bydrolysis of cellulose intermediate productsbelonging to the carbohydrate group are formed, which, at least inThe Presence of Glycogen in the Protozoa. By 0. B~~TSCHLI(Zeit. B i d , 21, 603-612) .-The author’s experiments were under-taken as a confirmation of previous investigations which have beenrecently criticised by Frenzel (Arch. f. Mikr. Anat., 24, 545). Thesubject in question is the composition of the granules. of the entoplasmof the gragorinae. From a number of qualitative results (of a some-what indefinite character), the author concludes that the substancecomposing these granules is glycogen, or a compound of similar nature(“ paraglycogen ”).The author has identified such a substance alsoin the infusoria Nyctotherns, Ovalis, and Strombidium, confirming,therefore, the observations of Certes (Compt. rend., 90, 70).Albuminoi’d Substance in Urine. By F. M~~LLER (Chem.Centr., 188Fi, 597--598).-l’his substance is precipitated from urineby acetic acid, and is regarded as a modification of albumin by theauthor, as it is precipitated both by magnesium sulphate, and onboiling; moreover it resembles other albumino’id bodies in itsbehnviour with nitric acid. P. P. B.Amount of Volatile Acids in the Excrements of Ruminants.By H. WILSING (Zeit.B i d , 21, 625--630).-The author’s experimentswere undertaken as a development of Tappeiner’s observations onthe formation of acetic and butyric acids as the main products of thedigestive hydrolysis of cellulose. The subject of the experiments wasa goat receiving 1.5 kilo. meadow hay per diem ; the results obtainedare Fsummarised in the following table :-part, are directly assimilated. c. 3‘. c.C. F. C.Experiment.I . . . . . . . .I1 .. .. *. ..111 .. *. .. ..IV v . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Totalin 24hours.99283081 51241812Urine.Fseces.Volatile acids.Total.2-9372 8541-4443 -7111 *a59Excl. HCl +PhSCOOH.2 -2012 -1’750 *9352 -9341 -270Totalin 24hours.??565668?Vol.acids.--1 ’8021 -8021 ‘8001 -8031 -802Aggregate.Vol.fattyacids.--4 -0033 *9972 ‘7354 9-373 -0788 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS.The hay contained 25.9 “crude fibre,” of which 60 per cent. wasfound to disappear in the process of digestion, whence, the authorstates, 233 grams ceZZuZose are digested in the 24 hours; and as thisquantity would yield, according to Tappeiner’s observations, 15 7grams volatile fatty acids, it is seen that of the latter 97.4 per cent.Abstractor’s Note.-It is to be observed that agricultural chemistscontinue to apply the term cellulose collectively to plant fibres,disregarding the variations in composition of the fibre substance.Pathological Urine. By A. VILLIERS (J. Phurm. [ 5 ] , 11, 246-249).-Contrary to Bouchard and Pouchet, the author finds thatnormal urine never contains alkaloids.Operating always on twolitres, he first evaporated by heat, then in a vacuum, took up theresidue with absolute alcohol, evaporated the filtered alcoholic solutionin a vacuum, and took up this second residue with a drop of water.In this solution, the alkaloids were detected by alternate precipitationwith an alkaline carbonate in presence of ether, and re-solution inwater acidified with hydrochloric acid. When care was takea toobtain normal urine, the results were always negative, but alkalo’idswere found in the urine when the subject was sujfering from a slightatt,ack of bronchitis, indisposition with fever, measles, pneumonia,abscess in the head ; in one case of tetanus, alkaloids were not found.Physiological Action of Rubidium Salts.By C. RICHET(Conzpt. rend., 101, 667--669).-The toxic effect of rubidiumchloride depends on the mode of introduction into the system.If the solution is injected under the skin, the minimum fatal dose isabout 1 gram per kilo. of body weight, but if injected directly intothe veins, about 0.5-0-6 gram per kilo. of body weight is sufficient tocause death. In both cases the poison acts directly on the heart aiidstops its movements.Physiological Action of Salts of Lithium, Potassium, andRubidium. By C. RICHET (Compt. rend., 101, 707-710).-Aqueoussolutions of the chlorides of the three metals were injected under theskin of various animals, and the minimum dose sufficient to causedeath was determined.The effects of lithium chloride appear veryslowly, hut the action of rubidium and potassium chlorides is evidentin a few hours. Leaving out crayfish, which are very easily poisonedby the chlorides, and snails, which offer considerable resistance totheir action, i t was found that the minimum fatal dose per kilo. ofbody weight was practically the same for teuch, tortoises, frogs,pigeons, guinea-pigs, and rabbits, being 0.1 gram for lithium,* 0.5for potassium, and 1.0 for rubidium. These numbers are almost inexactly the same ratio as the atomic weights of the three metals,namely, 7, 39, and 85. In* other words, lithium, potassium. andrubidium, if taken in molecular proportion instead of in equal weights,* These numbers represent, not the amount of chloride, but the amount of metalin the form of chloride.are assimilated, and 2.6 per cent.only excreted. c. I?. c.J. T.Rubihum is less poisonous than potassium.C. H. BPHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. 89are equally poisonous. It would seem, therefore, that the toxic actionis really a chemical action, and it is probable that these three chloridesact by displacing, molecule for molecule, the sodium chloride presentin the tissues. C. H. B.Physiological Action of Liebig's Extract of Meat. ByK. B. LEHMANN (Chem. Centr., 1885, 665).--Neither this extract norpotassium salts, even when taken in large doses, have a specific actionon the rate, strength, or regularity of the pulse. The action whichhas been observed is only the general reflex action of all salts onthe stomach and intestines.The cont,inued consumption of largequantities of the extmct, even up t o 1 per cent. of the whole weight,of the body, had not an ill, but apparently a very favourableeffect. L. T. T.Adipocere. By E. ZILLNER (Chena. Centr., .1885,441-442).-Fromthe results of several minute microscopical and chemical investiga-tions the author concludes that adipocere is formed from the variousfats present in the body at the moment of death, and that thealbuminoi'ds do not play any part in this transformation. After a fewmonths' putrefaction, the animal tissues are no longer impervious tothe transmission of the fat, which then wanders and collects in masses,there to undergo further decomposition, and eventually lose itsglycerol and oleic acid, leaving a crystallised fatty acid behind.Tothis end thorough moistening of the corpse is necessary to carry awaymechanically the liquid products. As the crystallised acid occupiesa much greater space than the amorphous form, the apparenttransformation of parts of the body into fat is explained.J. K. C.Post-mortem Imbibition of Arsenic. By F. S. Srrmoiv (Amer.Chem. J., 7, 75--87).-But little is known of the distributiou of arsenicand other poisons when introduced into the body after death, it beinggenerally assumed that the transfusion of arsenic is prevented by thesulphuretted hydrogen evolved by the decomposition. That it can travelt o the liver and some other viscera when injected into the stomach orrectum has been pointed out, but whether it can reach the brain is acontended point ; if this is impossible, and Scolosuboff's stahementthat arsenic is deposited during life in the brain and spinal cord istrue, then a means is afforded of distinguishing between poisoningby arsenic and post-mortem injections containing it.The author made injections of 3 grains arsenious oxide into thestomach and rectuni of dogs killed by chloroform 24 hours previously,and found that after burial for periods of from 3 to 102 days, arseniccould be detected in the liver, the kidneys, and the brain, and thatthe longer the time of burial, the greater was the quantity of arsenic,especially in the case of the brain. H. B