Chemie der höheren Pilze, eine Monographie

Abstract

THE detection, isolation, and characterisation of the definite compounds resulting from the vital processes of living organisms is a branch of organic chemistry which is slowly developing and of which the progress is necessarily dependent upon the development of pure chemistry. In fact, it may be said that in some respects this department of biochemistry Is in advance of the pure science, because the living organism has already furnished chemists with immense numbers of compounds which are quite definite, but of which the chemical constitution is at present unknown. Indeed, it may be stated in much wider terms that there is probably no such thing as an “indefinite” chemical compound in the whole animal or vegetable world. There is no doubt that many, perhaps the majority, of the organic compounds present in animals or plants are of very high molecular weights and of great atomic complexity, and there is also no doubt that many of the products which have been isolated and studied are complex mixtures or combinations of such complexes. But to speak of such products as “indefinite” is simply tantamount to the admission that our modern methods of research are inadequate, and that our knowledge of biochemistry must develop concurrently with the development of new methods for dealing with these highly complex molecules.

Chemie der höheren Pilze, eine Monographie.

By Dr. Julius Zellner. Pp. vi + 257. (Leipzig: W. Engelmann, 1907.) Price 9 marks.