Abstract
Comparative elementary analyses, as well as determinations of the heat of combustion, of many samples of connective tissue collagen and gelatin, have indicated that there is a closer agreement between the mother substance and its derivative, on these two planes of comparison, than the prevalent idea of their chemical relationship would indicate. The following sample data show this quite clearly:
These data were obtained before the experiments by Emmett and Gies 1 were begun. The differences between the above figures for nitrogen and hydrogen contents harmonize with the observation by Emmett and Gies that nitrogen is eliminated as ammonia when collagen is converted into gelatin by treatment with hot water, and also strengthen their conclusion that gelatin is not a simple hydrate of collagen.
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