a body
of strongly 'reducing' properties by the action of an oxidising agent
upon the inert cellulose molecule (? aggregate) as due to the
_hydrolytic_ action of the peroxide: following Wurster (Ber. 22, 145),
who similarly explained the production of reducing sugars from cane
sugar by the action of the peroxide.

The product in question is accordingly termed _hydralcellulose_. By the
action of alkalis this is resolved into two bodies of alcoholic
(cellulose) and acid ('acid cellulose') characteristics respectively.
The latter in drying passes into a lactone. The acid product is also
obtained from cellulose by the action of alkaline lye (boiling 30 p.ct.
NaOH) and by solution in Schweizer's reagent.

It is considered probable that the cellulose nitrates are hydrocellulose
derivatives, and experimental evidence in favour of this conclusion is
supplied by the results of 'nitrating' the celluloses and their oxy- and
hydro- derivatives. Identical products were obtained.

_Experimental investigations._--The filter paper employed as 'original
cellulose,' giving the following numbers on analysis:

C 44.56 44.29 44.53 44.56
H 6.39 6.31 6.46 6.42

was exposed to the action of pure distilled H_{2}O_{2} at 4-60 p.ct.
strength, at ordinary temperatures until disintegrated: a result
requiring from nineteen to thirty days. The series of products gave the
following analytical results:

C 43.61 43.61 43.46 43.89 44.0 43.87 43.92 43.81
H 6.00 6.29 6.28 6.26 6.13 6.27 6.24 6.27

results lying between the requirements of the formulae:

5 C_{6}H_{10}O_{5}.H_{2}O and 8 C_{6}H_{10}O_{5}.H_{2}O.

Hydrazones were obtained with 1.7-1.8 p.ct. N. Treated with caustic soda
solution the hydrazones were dissolved in part: on reprecipitation a
hydrazone of unaltered composition was obtained. The original product
shows therefore a uniform distribution of the reactive CO- groups.

The hydralcellulose boiled with Fehling's solution reduced 1/12 of the
amount required for an equal weight of glucose.

Digested with caustic soda solution it yielded 33 p.ct. of its weight of
the soluble 'acid cellulose.' This product was purified and analysed
with the following result: C 43.35 H 6.5. For the direct production of
the 'acid' derivative, cellulose was boiled with successive quantities
of 30 p.ct. NaOH until _dissolved_. It required eight treatments of one
h