In the first description of cis-aconitic acid, Malachowski and Maslowski (1) noted that in aqueous solution it was rapidly converted by heat into the transacid. In a study of the electrical conductivity of dilute solutions of the two isomeric acids, Malachowski (2) found that the proportion of the trans-acid in equilibrated mixtures is approximately 85% and decreases slightly with elevation of the temperature and with dilution of the solution. Krebs and Eggleston (3) showed that in neutral solution sodium cis-aconitate is much more stable and that the most rapid and extensive conversion to the irans-isomer takes place in strongly acidic and strongly alkaline solutions. They point out, however, that the values they obtained are of uncertain accuracy because of interferences in the enzymic and chemical reactions used to determine cis-aconitic acid.The strontium salt of irans-aconitic acid ( 4) is soluble when formed by double

No abstract

z20° with effervescence. It gave strong tests for sulfur and chlorine and was identified a> 2-thio-I-methyl-,j-(~-chloropropyl)-6-oxypyrimi dine. A mixture of the hydrolytic product and tliis 2-thiopyriniidine melted at exactly the same temperature. l'he mechanism of the reaction may be represented by the preceding formulas. We obtained no evidence of the formation of ~, G-d i o x~-~-m e t h q. l-~-~~-m e r c a p t o p r o p~l) p y r~m i d i n~ The Conversion of a-Etlzyl?nerca~tu-6-(,2 ypynmidine into Uracil h?l TILqestion d i i Cliloroacetzc .4cid, NH-C'C

and digestibility of blood meal also decrease with increase in time and temperature of drying, the extinction coefficient may be used as a measure of the relative value of a specimen of this product as a feed.The extinction coefficient was used to determine the amount of hemoglobin in meat scraps, which, by official definition, should contain no more blood than "might occur unavoidably in good factory practice". In only 7 of 28 samples was the hemoglobin content over 1.5%. More study will be needed before a standard for hemoglobin in meat scraps can be proposed. LITERATURE CITED

Aconitic acid in the sorgo plant occurs both as free acid and combined with the cations of the juice. The aconitate precipitated from sorgo juice contains magnesium as well as calcium.Efficient precipitation of the aconitate re-quires concentration to a density of 50°to 60°Brix and heating to temperature above 75°C. Almost twice as much aconitate was precipitated by using lime and calcium chloride as by using lime alone.