HEMICELLULOSES AND TISSUE
CONSTITUENTS OF FUNGI

VERSUCHE ZUR BESTIMMUNG DES GEHALTS EINIGER PFLANZEN UND PFLANZENTEILE
AN ZELLWANDBESTANDTEILEN AN HEMICELLULOSEN UND AN CELLULOSE.

A. KLEIBER (Landw. Vers.-Stat., 1900, 54, 161).

~ON THE DETERMINATION OF CELL-WALL CONSTITUENTS, HEMICELLULOSES AND
CELLULOSE IN PLANTS AND PLANT TISSUES.~

In a preliminary discussion the author critically compares the results
of various of the methods in practice for the isolation and estimation
of cellulose. The method of F. Schulze [digestion with dil. HNO_{3} with
KClO_{3}--14 days, and afterwards treating the product with ammonia,
&c.] is stated to be the 'best known' (presumably the most widely
practised); W. Hoffmeister's modification of the above, in which the
nitric acid is replaced by hydrochloric acid (10 p.ct. HCl) is next
noted as reducing the time of digestion from 14 days to 1-2 days, and
giving in many cases higher yields of cellulose. The methods of treating
with the halogens, viz. bromine water (H. Mueller), chlorine gas (Cross
and Bevan), and chlorine water, are dismissed with a bare mention,
apparently on the basis of the conclusions of Suringar and Tollens
(_q.v._). The method of Lange, the basis of which is a 'fusion' with
alkaline hydrates at 180 deg., and the modified method of Gabriel, in which
the 'fusion' with alkali takes place in presence of glycerin, are
favourably mentioned.

These methods were applied to a range of widely different raw materials
to determine, by critical examination of the products, both as regards
yield and composition, what title these latter have to be regarded as
'pure cellulose.'

This portion of the investigation is an extension of that of Suringar
and Tollens, these latter confining themselves to celluloses of the
'normal' groups, i.e. textile and paper-making celluloses. The present
communication is a study of the tissue and cell-wall constituents of the
following types:--

1. Green plants of false oat grass (_Arrhenatherium, E._).
2. Green plants of lucerne (_Medicago sativa_).
3. Leaves of the ash (_Fraxinus_).
4. Leaves of the walnut (_Juglans_).
5. Roots of the purple melic grass (_Molinia caerulea_).
6. Roots of dandelion (_Taraxacum officinale_).
7. Roots of comfrey.
8. Coffee berries.
9. Wheat bran.

These raw materials were treated for the quantitative estimation of
cellulose by the method of Lange (b), Hoffmeister (