T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y acid was obtained from samples which we were satisfied contained galactans. This led t o a series of experiments in which varying amounts of galactan and milk sugar were treated in the usual manner. It was found that the percentage yield of mucic acid on the galactose taken varied greatly with the amount taken. (This fact has been recently reported by Miyake’ but was discovered independently by the author.) When 2 grams of galactose were taken, the amount of galactose recovered, as calculated by multiplying the weight of mucic acid by the official factor ( I , 3 3 ) , was 90 per cent. When 0 . 2 gram of galactose was taken 54-74 per cent of galactose was recovered. When o I gram was taken, in one case 37 per cent of galactose was recovered and in a duplicate determination no mucic acid crystallized out. Smaller quantities of galactose failed to yield any mucic acid. BrowneZ has pointed out that theoretically 180 parts of galactose produce 2 x 0 of mucic acid-a yield of 1 1 6 ~per j ~cent. The oxidation of galactose to mucic acid has been generally accepted as following in practice the yield of 7 5 per cent on the galactose. This figure is the result of the work of Tollens3 and his associates and was based on experiments in which he oxidized milk sugar and galactose in quantities of I , z j to 5 grams. There is no record of experiments on small quantities of galactose and i t has been assumed that the same factor holds for all amounts. The results obtained in this laboratory indicate that the usually accepted factor does not apply a t all to any but large percentages of galactose and that when the quantity becomes small (2-3 per cent) the method may fail to yield any mucic acid whatever and a t best will give results far below the truth. There appears to be no relief from this source of error in the determination until the reaction upon which it depends is better understood. Evidently the changes taking place cannot be described by a single simple equation, but must take into account one or more secondary products. Further study of this reaction might result in controlling the formation of the undesirable compounds and thus make the method workable. H’ ‘’ORE DIVISION OF AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA EXPERIMBNT STATION BERKELEY, February 1, 1915 - _______
NOTE ON STARCH-FORMING ENZYME FROM MALT Editor of the Journal of Industrial and Engin.et?Tkg Chemistry: In the February number of THIS JOURNAL, p. I I j , an article appeared by Charles B. Davis entitled “On a Starch-forming Enzyme from Malt: Its Action on Hemi-cellulose and Its Commercial Application to Brewing.” We have carefully repeated the experimental work in this article and were unable to confirm any of it as far as the enzyme “hemi-cellutase” is concerned, or to verify any of the conclusions of the author. We repeated the experiments outlined on page 1 x 8 , preparing Solution “A” exactly as described in this article, and using various samples of starch, like rice and potato-starch, but in no case were we able to obtain a blue reaction due to starch, although we tested both the solution and the residue very carefully with dilute iodine s,olution, checking the latter against very dilute solutions of starch. We also repeated. the experimental work outlined in the last two paragraphs of the article, using four different types of malt separately, and each one of these malts again with grits or flakes, but in no case were we ,able to obtain the blue reaction mentioned by M r , Davis. In footnote ( b ) to Table IV i t is stated that “when the hemicellulose is finely divided, the reaction takes place a t I O to 20’ C.” This latter statement is contrary to all our accepted ideas about enzymes. If an enzyme has an optimum temperature
*
Miyake, Chem. Abs., 8, 2007, June 10, 1914. Browne, “Handbook of Sugar Analysis,” 1st ed., p. 459. a Tollens and Creydt, Ann., 227-231; Tollens and Riscbbiet. Be7 , 18 (1885). 2616; Tollens, Kent, Rischbiet @ndCteydt. Lendw. Vers. Sta.. $9, 401. 2
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of 82.j’ C. we certainly would not expect that a mere subdivision of the substrate should reduce its optimum temperature over 60°, that is, from 8 2 . 5 ’ C. t o IO to 20’ C. However, to check this point we tried the effects of coarse and fine grinding on the samples of malt mentioned above, but in no case could we obtain the starch reaction a t 82.5’ C. In conclusion I would say that we were unable t o confirm any of the experimental work in this article and could obtain no evidence of the presence of an enzyme which would decompose hemi-cellulose a t 82.5’ C. In my opinion the entire article is erroneous. SIDNEY BURN WM. J. LEMP BREWING COMPAXY St. LOCIS,June 18, 1915
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ESTABLISHES A SEPARATE DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING Courses leading to the degree of Chemical Engineer have been offered in the Department of Chemistry of Columbia L-niversity for the past ten years, but, in recognition of the rapidly increasing importance of those industries based upon the applications of chemistry and the consequent demand for men specially trained in the fundamental engineering practices as applied to the problems of industrial chemistry, the Trustees of Columbia Vniversity have established a separate Department of Chemical Engineering upon the same plane of importance in the Columbia Graduate Engineering School as Mining, Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. The demand for graduates to fill important positions in the rapidly developing industries of the United States has brought an ever-increasing number of students to study Chemical Engineering at Columbia, the registration in this subject having reached a total of eighty-one during the past year. The new chemical engineering laboratories, which werc recently installed, where the students are taught to use engineering methods and engineering appliances in the study and development of chemical industry, will be provided with still further equipment during the present summer. These laboratories are equipped with apparatus to illustrate the various fundamental operations of chemical and electrochemical processes, and the student learns by actual contact to apply fundamental scientific principles to industrial problems. Here research may be conducted on such a scale as to establish the dependable engineering data necessary for intelligent and accurate process design. The sudden demand for products previously secured from Europe has greatly stimulated activity among chemical manufacturers. In many cases it is necessary first to develop the raw material supplies, as for example for t h manufacture of coal-tar dyes, where large quantities of benzol, phenol, toluol, etc., are required. The demand for these materials is being met rapidly by the installation of large plants for the recovery from coke oven gases of these heretofore waste products. Such concerns as the Lackawanna Steel Co., United States Steel Co. and other large coke producers both in the United States and Canada are now recovering these products. Similar activity obtains in other fields; for example, on account of large demands for esplosives, the production of sulfuric and nitric acids is being enormously increased, Entirely aside from these abnormal developments, forced upon us by the war, it should be noted that chemical processes are being established in other fields. For instance, within the last month two enormous installations, one at the Anaconda Smelter and another a t Chuquicamata, Chile, have been started for the extraction of copper by chemical methods. Plants for the production of sulfuric acid as a by-product from the roasting of sulfide ores along the lines of the plant a t Ducktown, Tenn., have also been established at Langloth, Pa., Cleveland, Ohio, and by the United States Steel Corporation.
