The text has been prepared upon the assumption that the students who will use it will have had some previous training in elementary inorganic and organic chemistry. A systematic laboratory course in organic preparations, such as is required of students who are preparing to become professional chemists, is not at all a necessary requisite to the understanding of the chemistry of the different groups of plant compounds as here presented; but it is assumed that the student will have had such previous training as is now commonly given in a one-year collegiate course in "General Chemistry," or a year's work in general inorganic chemistry followed by a brief course in "Types of Carbon Compounds" or "Elements of Organic Chemistry," such as is usually required of students who are preparing for advanced work in agricultural science, in animal or human nutrition, etc.
An attempt has been made to arrange the material in such a way as to proceed from simpler chemical principles and substances to those of more complex structures. This results in an arrangement of the groups to be studied in an order which is quite different than their biological significance might suggest. It is believed, however, that in the end a more systematic understanding and a more orderly procedure is obtained in this way than would result from the treatment of the groups in the order of their relative biological importance.
CONTENTS
| [Introduction] | Page |
| Development of biological science; characteristics of protoplasm;plant and animal life, similarities and differences; protoplasmicactivity essentially chemical changes; objects of study of thechemistry of plant life | xiii-xvi |
| [CHAPTER I]—Plant Nutrients | |
| Definitions; the plant food elements; available and unavailableforms; the value of the different soil elements as plant foods;functions of the different plant food elements in plant growth;inorganic plant toxins and stimulants; references | 1-15 |
| [CHAPTER II]—Organic Components of Plants | |
| Plants as synthetic agents; types of changes involved in plantgrowth; groups of organic compounds found in plants; physiologicaluse and biological significance defined; physiologicaluses of organic groups | 16-20 |
| [CHAPTER III]—Photosynthesis | |
| Definitions; physiological steps in photosynthesis; formaldehyde,the simplest carbohydrate structure; the condensation offormaldehyde into sugars; theories concerning photosynthesis;the production of starches and sugars; references | 21-29 |
| [CHAPTER IV]—Carbohydrates | |
| Importance, nomenclature, and classification; groups of carbohydrates;isomeric forms of monosaccharides; chemical constitutionof monosaccharides; characteristic reactions ofhexoses; the occurrence and properties of monosaccharides;disaccharides; trisaccharides; tetrasaccharides; the relationof molecular configuration to biochemical properties; polysaccharides,dextrosans, levulosans, mannosans, and galactosans;physiological uses and biological significance of carbohydrates;references | 30-66 |
| [CHAPTER V]—Gums, Pectins, and Celluloses | |
| Relation to carbohydrates; groups; the natural gums and pentosans;mucilages; pectins; celluloses; physiological uses of celluloses; referencess | 67-75 |
| [CHAPTER VI]—Glucosides | |
| Definition; general structure; hydrolysis of the natural glucosides;general properties; the phenol glucosides; the alcohol glucosides;the aldehyde glucosides; the oxycumarin glucosides; the cyanophoricglucosides; the mustard-oil glucosides; the pigmentglucosides; the digitalis glucosides; the saponins; physiologicaluses; biological significance; references | 76-93 |
| [CHAPTER VII]—Tannins | |
| General properties; occurrence; chemical constitution; classes;some common tannins; physiological uses; biological significanceof tannins in fruits; references | 94-101 |
| [CHAPTER VIII]—Pigments | |
| Types and classes; the chlorophylls, chemical constitution, similarityof chlorophyll and hæmoglobin, properties of the chlorophylls;the carotinoids, carotin, xanthophyll, lycopersicin, andfucoxanthin; phycoerythrin and phycophæin; the anthocyans;the anthoxanthins; the production of ornamental pigments inflowers, etc.; the functions of pigments; references | 102-123 |
| [CHAPTER IX]—Organic Acids, Acid Salts, and Esters | |
| Chemical constitution; some common organic acids; physiologicaluses of organic acids; biological significance of fruit acids andesters | 124-128 |
| [CHAPTER X]—Fats and Oils, Waxes, and Lipoids | |
| General composition; fats and oils, occurrence, chemical constitution,acids which occur in natural fats, alcohols which occur innatural fats, hydrolysis and synthesis of fats, extraction of oilsfrom plant tissues, identification of fats and oils, physiologicaluse; the waxes; the lipoids, lecithin, other plant phosphatides,plant cerebrosides, physiological uses of lipoids; references | 129-145 |
| [CHAPTER XI]—Essential Oils and Resins | |
| Definitions, classes, occurrence; the essential oils; the resins;physiological uses and biological significance of essential oils;references | 146-150 |
| [CHAPTER XII]—The Vegetable Bases | |
| Composition and groups; the plant amines; alkaloids; the purinebases; the pyrimidines; the nucleic acids, composition anduses; references | 151-163 |
| [CHAPTER XIII]—Proteins | |
| Importance; general composition; amino-acids and peptid units;individual amino-acids; composition of the plant proteins;general properties of proteins; classification; differences betweenplant and animal proteins; extraction of proteins from planttissues; synthesis in plants; physiological uses; references | 164-180 |
| [CHAPTER XIV]—Enzymes | |
| Reaction velocities; enzymes as catalysts; general properties;extracellular and intracellular enzymes; chemical nature;nomenclature and classification; occurrence and preparation;general and individual enzymes; nature of enzyme action;accelerators and inhibitors; coenzymes and antienzymes;zymogens; physiological uses; further studies needed; references | 181-201 |
| [CHAPTER XV]—The Colloidal Condition | |
| "Colloids" and "crystalloids"; the colloidal condition a dispersionphenomenon; nomenclature and classification; conditionsnecessary to the formation of sols; gel-formation; generalproperties of colloidal solutions; suspensoids and emulsoids;adsorption; catalysis affected by the colloidal condition;industrial applications of colloidal phenomena; natural colloidalphenomena; references | 202-220 |
| [CHAPTER XVI]—The Physical Chemistry of Protoplasm | |
| Heterogeneous structure of protoplasm; protoplasm a colloidal gel;water; salts; osmotic pressure; surface boundary phenomena;electrical phenomena; acidity and alkalinity; summary; vitalphenomena as chemical and physical changes; references | 221-238 |
| [CHAPTER XVII]—Hormones, Auximones, Vitamines, and Toxins | |
| External and internal stimulants; hormones; vitamines; auximones,toxins | 221-238 |
| [CHAPTER XVIII]—Adaptations | |
| General discussion; adaptations, accommodations, and adjustments;chromatic adaptations; morphological adaptations; accommodations;concluding statements | 249-258 |
| [Index] | 259-268 |