Legal Chemistry: A Guide to the Detection of Poisons, Examination of Tea, Stains, Etc., as Applied to Chemical JurisprudenceNaquet, Alfred
Science
Legal Chemistry: A Guide to the Detection of Poisons, Examination of Tea, Stains, Etc., as Applied to Chemical Jurisprudence
Naquet, Alfred
Chemistry, Forensic; Poisons
_Legumens._--Leguminous meals cannot be added otherwise than in small
proportions to wheaten flour, owing to the rapidity with which they
change the properties of the latter, and communicate to it their
characteristic odor--noticeable upon treating the flour with a little
boiling water. Their presence is also easily detected by the distinctive
properties of the vegetable itself, and by the appearance of the
amylaceous residue in the microscopic examination. In order to decide as
to the presence of legumens, the washings containing the starchy matter
of the flour, after the particles of gluten present have been separated
by passing the fluid through a silk sieve, are divided into two
portions. One portion is allowed to undergo fermentation, at a
temperature of 18° to 20°: in case leguminous substances are not
present, lactic fermentation occurs and the odor of sour milk is alone
perceptible; if, on the other hand, legumens are contained in the fluid,
rancid fermentation takes place, and an odor is emitted resembling that
of decayed cheese. The remaining portion of the washings, after being
decanted from the residue of amylaceous matter, is filtered and
evaporated until a yellowish translucent pellicle appears upon its
surface. The fluid is then again filtered from the coagulated albumen
common to all flours, and the leguminous substances present coagulated
by the addition, drop by drop, of acetic acid.
The leguminous deposit produced appears white and flaky; when examined
under the microscope, it presents lamilla emarginated at the border; it
is odorless and tasteless; when dried, it assumes a horny appearance; it
is insoluble, both in water and alcohol, and does not become gelatinous
when treated with boiling water; it is readily soluble in potassa and
other alkaline solutions, from which it is precipitated upon addition of
nitric, hydrochloric, acetic, oxalic, and citric acids; upon protracted
boiling in water, it loses its property of being soluble in ammonia. The
above tests having been applied, the residue containing the starch is
next examined. For this purpose, a small portion is moistened with a
little water, a few drops of iodine solution added, and the mixture
placed on the side of the microscope: the bluish grains contained in the
polyhedral and cellular envelope (Fig. 15) are easily recognized. The
mixture on the glass may also be treated with an aqueous solution of
potassa (containing 10 per cent. of the salt), or with dilute
hydrochloric acid: these reagents dissolve the starch present, leaving
the reticulated tissue intact. Should this examination fail to give a
definite result, the remaining portion of the amylaceous residue is
subjected to a sort of levigation, and the part most slowly deposited
separated. In this portion the reticulated tissues of the leguminous
substances present are contained, and, as they are comparatively free
from foreign matters, their identification is a matter of comparative
ease.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account