Professional Documents
Culture Documents
chapter
4
The Chromosome Theory of
Inheritance
Synopsis
Chapter 4 is critical for understanding genetics because it connects Mendel’s laws for the
transmission of genes with the behavior of chromosomes during meiosis. Genes are located on
chromosomes and travel with them during cell division, gamete formation, and fertilization.
Mendel’s first law of segregation is a consequence of the fact that homologous chromosomes
segregate from each other (move to opposite spindle poles) during the first meiotic division in
germ cells. Mendel’s second law of independent assortment results from the independent
alignment of each pair of homologous chromosomes during the first meiotic division.
Many of the experiments that verified the Chromosome Theory of Inheritance relied on the
facts that in many organisms the two sex chromosomes are morphologically distinct and do not
carry the same genes. As a result, the inheritance patterns of X-linked genes in fruit flies and
humans differ from those of autosomal genes, and scientists were able to correlate these unusual
inheritance patterns with the presence of particular sex chromosomes.
Key terms
haploid (n) – cells such as gametes that contain only one copy of each chromosome
pair
diploid (2n) – cells that contain both copies of an homologous chromosome pair
sister chromatids – the two copies of a single chromosome that result after chromosome
replication during S phase. The sister chromatids are connected to each other at
the centromere.
metacentric/acrocentric – terms that describe the position of the centromere on a
chromosome. In metacentric chromosomes, the centromere is near the center so the
chromosome contains two long arms. In acrocentric chromosomes, the centromere is near
(but not quite at) one of the ends.
homologous chromosomes (homologs) – chromosomes that match in shape, size, and
banding because they have the same4-1 set of genes. Normally, in a pair of homologous
chromosomes,
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hillone chromosome
Education. All rightsisreserved.
of maternal origin, while the other is of paternal
origin.
No reproduction As a result,without
or distribution homologous
the prior chromosomes may
written consent of carry different alleles of genes.
McGraw-Hill
Education.
nonhomologous chromosomes – chromosomes that do not match because they have
different sets of genes
chapter 4
4-2
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
chapter 4
4-3
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
chapter 4
Metaphase of Mitosis
Metaphase of Meiosis I
4-4
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
chapter 4
Problem
Solving
For problems involving mitosis and meiosis, you should make sure you can draw from memory
the two figures on the previous page and understand the forces that pull sister chromatids
(mitosis and meiosis II) or homologous chromosomes (meiosis I) to opposite spindle poles
and the structures (centromeres in mitosis and meiosis II; the chiasmata resulting from
crossover during meiosis I) that keep the sister chromatids or homologous chromosomes
together at the metaphase plate until the centromeres or chiasmata are dissolved. Remember
that in this book, a chromosome consists of all chromatids connected through a common
centromere. Thus, a single chromosome during mitotic metaphase has two sister chromatids,
but then these chromatids become two chromosomes during anaphase of mitosis.
Remember that you should start each problem involving the outcomes of crosses by
diagramming the crosses, determining the number of genes involved and the phenotypes
associated with each of the alleles. Based on what you learned in this chapter, you can see
that you need to consider the possibility that a gene controlling a phenotype is X-linked. You
can determine whether a gene involved in the cross is X-linked by looking for a clear
phenotypic difference between the sexes in one generation's progeny of a cross. This is
NOT a difference in the absolute numbers of males and females of a certain phenotype, but
instead a trait that is present in one sex and totally absent in the other sex. This difference
between the sexes will be seen in either the F1 generation or the F2 generation, but not in
both generations in the same cross series. It is not possible to make a definitive conclusion
about X linkage based on just one generation of a cross - you must see the data from both the
F1 and F2 progeny. If the sex difference is seen in the F1 generation, then the female parent
had the X-linked trait. If the sex difference is seen in the F2 generation, then the male parent
had the X-linked trait. X-linked genes usually show a 1:1 monohybrid ratio.
Once you have generated a model to explain the data, use your model to re-diagram the
cross by assigning genotypes to the parental (P) generation. Then follow the cross through,
figuring out the expected genotypes and phenotypes in the F1 and F2 generations.
Remember that your genotype-phenotype assignments must always agree with those initially
assigned to the parents. Next, compare your predicted results to the observed data you were
given. If the two sets of information match, then your initial genotypes were correct! In
many cases there may seem to be two possible sets of genotypes for the parents. If your
predicted results do not match the data given, try the other possible set of genotypes for the
parents.
Vocabulary
1.
a. meiosis 13. one diploid cell gives rise to four haploid cells
b. gametes 7. haploid germ cells that unit at fertilization
4-5
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
chapter 4
4-6
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
chapter 4
d. mitosis 10. one diploid cell gives rise to two diploid cells
e. interphase 12. the part of the cell cycle during which the
chromosomes are not visible
f. syncytium 8. an animal cell containing more than one nucleus
g. synapsis 9. pairing of homologous chromosomes
h. sex chromosomes 1. X and Y
i. cytokinesis 6. division of the cytoplasm
j. anaphase 15. the time during mitosis when sister chromatids
separate
k. chromatid 3. one of the two identical halves of a replicated
chromosome
l. autosomes 2. chromosomes that do not differ between the sexes
m. centromere 16. connection between sister chromatids
n. centrosomes 4. microtubule organizing centers at the spindle poles
o. polar body 14. cell produced by meiosis that does not become a
gamete
p. spermatocytes 5. cells in the testes that undergo meiosis
Section 4.1
2. A diploid number of 46 means there are 23 homologous pairs of chromosomes.
a. A child receives 23 chromosomes from the father.
b. Each somatic cell has 44 autosomes (22 pairs) and 2 sex chromosomes (1 pair).
c. A human ovum (female gamete) contains 23 chromosomes - one of each
homologous pair (22 autosomes and one X chromosome).
d. One sex chromosome (an X chromosome) is present in a human ovum.
Section 4.2
3. a. 7 centromeres are shown.
b. There are 7 chromosomes in the diagram. Note that by definition the number
chromosomes is equal to the number of centromeres.
c. There are 14 chromatids.
d. There are 3 pairs of homologous chromosomes and one chromosome without a
partner.
e. There are 4 metacentric chromosomes and 3 acrocentric chromosomes.
4-7
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
chapter 4
f. This is an organism in which males are XO, so it is most likely that females
would be XX. The karyotype of females would be the same as the one shown,
except that there would be 2 copies of the left-most chromosome instead of
one copy.
4. Sex-reversed XX individuals are males because they have a functional SRY gene whose
presence activates testes development in embryos. The embryonic testes secrete
hormones that trigger the development of other male sex organs. However, sex- reversed
XX males lack the male fertility genes found in the MSY region of the Y
chromosome, so they are infertile (compare Figs. 4.7 and 4.8 on p. 91).
5. a. If the purpose of the SRY protein is to activate the Sox9 gene, then male
development takes place when Sox9 is active, but female development is the default
state that occurs when Sox9 is inactive. Thus, an XY individual who is
homozygous for a nonfunctional mutant allele of Sox9 would develop as a
female. Even though the SRY protein is made, it will not be able to activate copies
of Sox9 that are inherently nonfunctional.
b. In the experiment described in the Fast Forward Box on p. 93, researchers added an
SRY gene to the genomes of XX mice, and these mice developed as males. Suppose
now that instead of SRY, you added a Sox9 transgene to an XX mouse. This XX
mouse with a Sox9 transgene would develop as a female, not a male. The
reason is that the Sox9 transgene could not be activated in the absence of the SRY
protein. (In fact, XX mice already have two copies of Sox9 even without the transgene
because Sox9 is autosomal.)
Section 4.3
6. Mitosis maintains the chromosome number. Thus, mitosis produces 2 daughter cells
each with 14 chromosomes (2n, diploid).
7. a. iii. In anaphase, the sister chromatids separate and move to opposite spindle poles.
Note in the figure that each chromatid assumes a V-shaped configuration because
the chromatid is being pulled towards the pole along the microtubules that connect
the pole to the kinetochore in the centromeric region. As a result, the centromeric
region “leads” the chromatid towards the pole, and the telomeres at the ends of the
arms lag behind as the chromatid moves towards the poles.
b. i. In prophase, the chromosomes have already replicated so that they consist of two
sister chromatids. These chromosomes have not yet attached to the spindle because
the nuclear envelope is still intact.
c. iv. In metaphase, the chromosomes (consisting at this stage of two sister
chromatids connected to each other at the centromere) are found at the metaphase
plate at the center of the cell. There is no nuclear envelope because it broke down
previously, allowing the kinetochores of the two sister chromatids to connect to
spindle fibers emanating from opposite spindle poles. (These spindle fiber
attachments are what allow the chromosomes to congress to the metaphase plate.)
4-8
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
chapter 4
d. ii. During G2 of the cell cycle, the chromosomes, which have not yet condensed, are
still contained in an intact nucleus.
e. v. During telophase, the sister chromatids, which already moved to opposite spindle
poles during anaphase, are incorporated into the nuclei of the two daughter cells.
Cytokinesis is the process that separates the cytoplasms of these two daughter cells.
8. a. G1, S, G2 and M (see Fig. 4.9 on p. 94).
b. G1, S and G2 are all part of interphase.
c. G1 is the time of major cell growth that precedes DNA synthesis and
chromosome replication. Chromosome replication occurs during S phase. G2
is another phase of cell growth after chromosome replication during which
the cell synthesizes many proteins needed for mitosis.
9.
G1 S G2 Prophase Metaphase Anaphase Telophase
a. # of chromatids/
1 1→2 2 2 2 1 1
chromosome
b. nucleolus? yes yes yes yes → no no no no → yes
c. spindle? no no no no → yes yes yes yes → no
d. nuclear membrane? yes yes yes yes → no no no no → yes
10. No, mitosis can (and does) occur in haploid cells. This is because each chromosome aligns
independently at the metaphase plate; there is no requirement for homologous
chromosome pairing.
Section 4.4
11. Meiosis produces 4 cells (n, haploid), each with 7 chromosomes (one half the
number of chromosomes of the starting cell).
12. In order to answer this question count the number of independent centromeres. If two
sister chromatids are connected by one centromere this counts as one chromosome.
Meiosis I is the only division that reduces the chromosome number by half, so it
is a reductional division. A cell undergoing meiosis II or mitosis has the same
number of centromeres (and thus chromosomes) as the each daughter cell. Therefore, the
meiosis II and mitotic divisions are both equational.
13. a. mitosis, meiosis I, meiosis II
b. mitosis, meiosis I
c. mitosis
4-9
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
chapter 4
d. Mitosis is obviously excluded, but the rest of the answer depends on whether your
definition of ploidy counts chromosomes or chromatids. Meiosis I in a diploid
organism produces daughter cells with n chromosomes but 2n chromatids; meiosis
II produces haploid daughter cells with n chromosomes or n chromatids. Thus there
are two possible answers: meiosis II (if you count chromatids or
chromosomes) and meiosis I (if you count chromosomes but not if you count
chromatids). To avoid potential confusion, geneticists usually use the terms "n",
"2n", and "ploidy" only to describe cells with unreplicated chromosomes, so they don’t
often use these terms when talking about the cells produced at the end of meiosis I.
e. meiosis I
f. none
g. meiosis I
h. meiosis II, mitosis
i. mitosis, meiosis I
14. Remember that the problem states that all cells are from the same organism. This fact is
needed to allow the designation of mitosis, meiosis I and II. The stage of the cell cycle
can be inferred from the morphology of the spindle, the presence or absence of the
nuclear membrane, and whether homologous chromosomes (or sister chromatids) are
paired (or connected through a centromere) or separated. The n number is 3
chromosomes (this is the number of chromosomes in the haploid gametes).
a. anaphase of meiosis I
b. metaphase of mitosis (not meiosis II because there are 6 chromosomes or 2n in
this cell)
c. telophase of meiosis II
d. anaphase of mitosis
e. metaphase of meiosis II
15. a. The cell is in metaphase/early anaphase of meiosis I in a male, assuming the
heterogametic sex (that is, the sex with two different sex chromosomes) in Tenebrio
is male. Note the heteromorphic chromosome pair (with non-identical chromosomes)
in the center of the cell.
b. It is not possible to distinguish centromeres, telomeres or sister chromatids,
among other structures.
c. n = 5
16. In the following figures, chromosomes are drawn in the same style as in Fig. 4.3 on p.
88: Nonhomologous chromosomes are in different colors (here, blue and red); homolo-
gous chromosomes are represented in different shades (dark or light) of the same color,
while sister chromatids are in the same shades of the same color. In this scheme, the
relative degree of similarity in color and shade illustrates the degree of nucleotide sequence
similarity. Nonhomologous chromosomes are unrelated and do not have the
4-9
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
chapter 4
same genes. Homologous chromosomes have DNA sequences that are about 99.9%
identical (they have the same genes, but different alleles of those genes). Sister chromatids
have identical DNA sequences, excepting very rare new mutations.
To further your understanding of chromosome behaviors during the various types
of cell division, the figures also have arrows showing the direction in which the
chromatids or chromosomes will move during the subsequent anaphase. (This was not
requested in the instructions to the problem.)
a. Metaphase of mitosis:
A HD + a HD
A HD + a HD
A HD + A HD
A HD + A HD
a HD
OR a HD +
a HD a HD +
c. Metaphase of meiosis II: Shown below is only one of the two products of meiosis I
from the cell diagrammed at the left in part (b); the other product of this meiosis I
would have chromosomes bearing a and HD. The other alignment in meiosis I (shown
at the right in part [b]) will give two A HD+ and two a HD+ daughter cells.
A HD +
A HD +
17. Using the assumptions given, each person can produce 223 genetically different gametes.
Thus, the couple could potentially produce 223 x 223 = 246 or 70,368,744,177,664
different zygotic combinations. That is 70 trillion, 368 billion, 744 million, 177
thousand, 664 genetically different children.
It is very realistic to assume that homologous chromosomes carry different
alleles of some genes. As we will see later in the book there are about 3 million
differences between the DNA sequences in the two haploid human genomes in any one
4-10
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
chapter 4
human being, or on average about 130,000 differences between any two homologous
chromosomes. In contrast, crossing-over almost always occurs between
homologous chromosomes in any meiosis; you will remember that crossing-over is
needed to allow the homologous chromosomes to segregate properly during meiosis I.
Thus the second assumption is much less realistic.
The fact that crossing-over occurs between homologous chromosomes means that
even though the 246 number just calculated is enormous, it is nonetheless a gross under-
estimate of the number of different zygotes two people could produce. As you will see
in the next chapter, crossing-over leads to genetic recombination, meaning that a chromosome
in a gamete is a pastiche of pieces from the chromosomes the parent obtained from his
or her parents. Different gametes from any one parent have different mixtures of
genomic segments from that person’s mother and father. So, when someone says
they have never known anyone genetically like you, she is exactly right (unless you are an
identical twin or triplet)!
18. The diploid sporophyte contains 7 homologous pairs of chromosomes. One
chromosome in each pair came from the male gamete and the other from the female
gamete. When the diploid cell undergoes meiosis one homolog of each pair ends up in
the gamete. For each homologous pair, the probability that the gamete contains the
homolog inherited from the father = 1/2. The probability that a gamete contains
only the homologs inherited from the father is (1/2)7 = 0.78%.
19. Absolutely. Meiosis requires the pairing of homologous chromosomes during
meiosis I, so meiosis cannot occur in a haploid organism.
20. a. The diagram at left is correct. In this diagram the connection between sister
chromatids is maintained in the region between the chiasma and the
telomeres; in the diagram on the right this connection is incorrectly shown as it
occurs between the chromatids of homologous chromosomes. If you trace out the
chromatids you will notice that the sister chromatid cohesion in the region between
the chiasma and the telomeres provides a physical connection that joins
homologous chromosomes, allowing them to stay together at the metaphase plate
during meiosis I. This shows why recombination is so important for proper meiotic
chromosome behavior. Problem 5.17 in Chapter 5 presents this same idea about the
physical connection between homologous chromosomes during meiosis I in a
different format.
b. The cohesin complexes at the centromere must be different than those along
the chromosome arms, at least during meiosis I. At anaphase I the cohesin
complexes along the arms must be destroyed in order to allow the homologous
chromosomes to separate. However, the cohesin at the centromeres must
remain because sister chromatids stay together until anaphase of meiosis II.
Recent research indicates that this difference between the cohesin complexes occurs
because centromeric cohesin is specifically protected from destruction at anaphase
I by a protein called shugoshin (Japanese for guardian spirit). We will discuss cohesins
and shugoshins in more detail in Chapter 11.
4-11
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
chapter 4
21. Most likely, some kind of crossing-over event occurred between a normal X
chromosome and a normal Y chromosome, as shown by the red “X” at the left of
the figure below. This crossing-over event would then move the SRY gene from the Y
onto the X chromosome, making an SRY+ X chromosome and an SRY– Y
chromosome. A person with a normal X chromosome and an SRY+ X chromosome
would be a sex-reversed male. A person with a normal X chromosome and an SRY– Y
chromosome would be a sex-reversed female.
This crossing-over event must have occurred in a male, and it must have occurred
between the centromere of the Y chromosome and the SRY gene in order to move the
gene from the Y to the X. [You should note that this crossing-over event must be
“illegitimate” (meaning that it is a rare mistake in meiosis) because the X and Y
chromosome are not homologous (do not share the same DNA sequences) in the
region where the crossing-over event occurred]. In contrast, crossing-over does occur at
least once in each meiosis between either the PAR1 regions on the X and Y and/or the
PAR2 regions on the X and Y; it is crossing-over in the PAR regions that insures the X
and Y chromosomes pair and then disjoin properly during meiosis I in normal males.
See Problem 5-16 in Chapter 5 for a view of a crossover in the PAR region.
Section 4.5
22. Remember that this textbook uses the convention that the number of chromosomes is
equal to the number of separate centromeres. Thus, after DNA synthesis each
chromosome has replicated and so has 2 chromatids held together at the replicated by
attached centromere. This structure is one chromosome with two chromatids. The
centromeres separate at anaphase in mitosis or at anaphase II in meiosis; at this point, the
two chromatids now become two chromosomes. For an overview of egg formation in
humans see Fig. 4.18 on p. 107; for an overview of sperm formation in humans see Fig.
4.19 on p. 108.
a. 96 chromosomes with 1 chromatid each = 96 chromatids;
b. 48 chromosomes with 2 chromatids each = 96 chromatids;
c. 48 chromosomes with 1 chromatid each = 48 chromatids;
d. 48 chromosomes with 1 chromatid each (unreplicated in G1) = 48 chromatids;
e. 48 chromosomes with 2 chromatids each (replicated in G2) = 96 chromatids;
4-12
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
chapter 4
4-13
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
chapter 4
Section 4.6
26. In birds, males are ZZ, females are ZW. Diagram the crosses between true-breeding
birds:
yellow ♀ × brown ♂ → brown ♀ and ♂; brown ♀ × yellow ♂ → yellow ♀ and brown ♂
These two crosses are reciprocal crosses, and the progeny show a sex-associated
difference in phenotypes – both sexes are the same phenotype (brown) in the first cross
but different phenotypes in the second cross (brown ♀ and yellow ♂). This finding
indicates the trait is sex-linked; a single sex-linked gene is sufficient to explain the results.
Also, the second cross shows crisscross inheritance - brown females × yellow males →
brown sons and yellow daughters. Criss-cross inheritance is also characteristic of a sex-
linked trait. Because the parents are true-breeding, the first cross shows that brown >
yellow. Therefore, the alleles of the gene are Z B (brown allele on Z
chromosome) and Z b (yellow allele on Z chromosome); the W chromosome does
not carry the feather color gene. The first cross was Zb W × ZB ZB → ZB W
(brown females) and ZB Zb (brown males). The second cross was ZB W × Zb Zb →
ZB Zb (brown males) and Zb W (yellow females).
27. a. Ivory eyes is the recessive phenotype and brown is the dominant phenotype;
females have 2 alleles of every gene and males have only one. Diagram the cross: ivory
♀ (bb) × brown ♂ (B) → fertilized eggs are Bb ♀ (brown); unfertilized eggs are b ♂
(ivory).
b. The cross is Bb F1 ♀ × B ♂ → fertilized eggs are 1/2 Bb ♀ (brown) : 1/2 BB ♀
(brown) = all brown ♀ progeny; unfertilized eggs are 1/2 B ♂ (brown) : 1/2 b ♂
(ivory).
28. Brown eye color (bw) and scarlet (st) are autosomal recessive mutations while vermilion
(v) is an X-linked recessive trait. The genes interact such that both bw v double mutants
and bw st double mutants are white-eyed. When diagramming a cross involving more than
one gene you must start with a genotype for each parent that includes information on
both genes. Then figure out the genotype of the F1 progeny. In order to predict the F2
results, find the expected ratio for each gene separately, and then cross-multiply the
ratios to generate the F2. Diagram the following crosses. [Note: In this answer as well as
those to several problems that follow, X-linked genes will not be written as a
superscript of the X symbol. Instead only the gene symbol will be used, as is done for
4-14
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill
Education.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
centimeters of nitric acid of 1.18 specific gravity. The mixture is boiled for one minute, and ten
cubic centimeters of permanganate solution of one and a quarter per cent added. Boil again until
the pink color disappears. Ferrous sulfate solution is next to be carefully added, shaking
meanwhile, until the solution clears. Cool to 50° and add eight cubic centimeters of ammonia of
0.90 specific gravity, stopper the flask, and shake until any precipitate which may form is
redissolved. Cool or warm, as the case may be, until the solution is as many degrees above or
below 60° as the molybdic solution is above or below 27°. Add sixty cubic centimeters of molybdic
solution, stopper, and shake on a machine or by hand for five minutes. After remaining at rest for
five minutes pour into a nine centimeter filter of fine texture and wash with the acid ammonium
sulfate solution in quantities of from five to ten cubic centimeters each time. The filtrate and
washings must be perfectly bright. Continue the washings until the filtrate gives no color with
hydrogen sulfid.
Dissolve the yellow precipitate with twelve cubic centimeters of 0.96 ammonia diluted with an
equal volume of water, and wash the filter with 100 cubic centimeters of water. Finally add to the
filtrate and wash-water eighty cubic centimeters of water and ten of strong sulfuric acid. Pass the
mixture through the Jones’ reducing tube and follow it with 200 cubic centimeters of water, taking
care that no air enter the tube during the operations. The solution collected in the flask should be
at once titrated with potassium permanganate.
Solutions used: (1) Nitric acid.—One part of nitric acid of 1.42 specific gravity and two parts of
water by volume. The specific gravity of the mixture is about 1.18.
(2) Permanganate solution for oxidizing.—Dissolve 12.5 grams of potassium permanganate in
one liter of water.
(3) Ferrous sulfate.—Fresh crystals not effervesced and free from phosphorus.
(4) Ammonia.—The strong ammonia used should have a specific gravity of about 0.90 and the
dilute of 0.96 at 15.5°.
(5) Molybdic Solution.—Dissolve 100 grams of molybdic anhydrid in 400 cubic centimeters of
ammonia of 0.96 specific gravity and pour the solution slowly, with constant stirring, into one liter
of nitric acid of about 1.20 specific gravity. Heat the mixture to 45° and add one cubic centimeter of
a ten per cent solution of sodium phosphate, stir vigorously, and allow to stand in a warm place for
eighteen hours. Filter before using.
(6) Add Ammonium Sulfate.—To half a liter of water add 27.5 cubic centimeters of 0.96
ammonia and twenty-four cubic centimeters of strong sulfuric acid, and make the volume one liter
with water.
(7) Potassium Permanganate for Titration.—Dissolve four grams of potassium permanganate
in two liters of water, heat nearly to boiling for an hour, allow to stand for eighteen hours, and filter
on asbestos felt. The solution must not come in contact with rubber or other organic matter. The
solution may be standardized with thoroughly air-dried ammonium oxalate in solution with a little
dilute sulfuric acid and with ammonium ferrous sulfate partly crystallized in small crystals from a
slightly acid solution. The crystals should be well washed and quickly air-dried in a thin layer. The
factors 1/1 1/4 2/2 and 1/7 should be used respectively to calculate the iron equivalent. The
phosphorus equivalent is obtained by multiplying the iron equivalent by 31 ÷ (36 × 56) = 0.01538.
Reduction Apparatus.—The reduction of the molybdic acid to molybdenum trioxid is
accomplished in a tube first proposed by Jones. The apparatus is shown in Figure 7. A piece of
moderately heavy glass tubing thirty-five centimeters long with an internal diameter of two
centimeters is drawn out at the lower end so as to pass into the stopper of a flask. A circular piece
of perforated platinum or porcelain rests on the constricted portion of the tube and this is covered
with an asbestos felt. The tube is then nearly filled with powdered zinc which is washed, before
using, with dilute sulfuric acid (1 : 20). A, B, C represent different methods of filtering the molybdic
solution. In A a platinum cone is placed in the constricted portion of the tube and the asbestos felt
placed thereon and the tube then filled with the granulated zinc. In B there is first
inserted a perforated disk then some very fine sand and this is covered with
another disk. In C there is a perforated disk which is covered with asbestos felt.
The filtering arrangement should be such as to prevent any zinc particles from
reaching the flask and yet permitting the filtration to go on without much difficulty.
A blank determination is first made by adding to 180 cubic centimeters of water,
twelve of 0.96 ammonia and ten of strong sulfuric acid. This is poured through the
reducing tube and followed with 200 cubic centimeters of water taking care that no
air enter the apparatus. Hydrogen peroxid is formed if air enter. Even after
standing for a few moments the tube should be washed with dilute sulfuric acid
before again using it. The filtrate should be titrated with the permanganate solution
and the amount required deducted from the following amounts obtained with the
molybdic salt.
Calculations.—The calculations of the amount of phosphorus in a given sample
of iron or steel are made according to the following data: In a given case let it be
Figure. 7. supposed that the permanganate solution is set with a solution of piano wire and it
is found that one cubic centimeter of permanganate liquor is equal to 0.003466
Jones’ gram of metallic iron. It is found that 90.76 parts of molybdic acid will produce the
Reduction same effect on permanganate as 100 parts of iron. Hence one cubic centimeter of
Tube. permanganate solution is equivalent to 0.003466 × 0.9076 = 0.003145 gram of
molybdic acid. In the yellow precipitate formed, in the conditions named for the
analysis it is found that the phosphorus is one and nine-tenths per cent of the
molybdic acid present. Therefore one cubic centimeter of permanganate liquor is equal to
0.003145 × 0.019 = 0.0000597 gram of phosphorus. If then, for example, in a sample of iron or
steel eight and six-tenths cubic centimeters of permanganate solution, after correction, be found
necessary to oxidize the molybdic solution after passing through the Jones’ reducing tube, the
amount of phosphorus found is 0.0000597 × 8.6 = 0.051 per cent.
113. The Silver Method.—The separation of the phosphoric acid by silver according to the
method of Perrot has been investigated by Spencer, who found the process unreliable.[96] By a
modification of the process, however, Spencer obtained fairly satisfactory results. The principle of
this method depends on the separation of the phosphoric acid by silver carbonate and the
subsequent titration thereof with standard uranium solution after the removal of the excess of
silver. The operation is conducted as follows: The fertilizer is first ignited until all organic matter
and residual carbon are destroyed. Solution is then accomplished by means of nitric acid and the
volume completed to a definite quantity. An aliquot part is taken, after filtration, varying with the
supposed strength of the solution so as to contain about 100 milligrams of phosphorus pentoxid. In
the slightly nitric acid solution add freshly prepared silver carbonate in excess, that is, sufficient to
saturate any free acid present and also to combine with all the phosphoric acid. Wash thoroughly
with hot water and then dissolve the mixed phosphate and silver carbonate in nitric acid and
remove the silver from the solution with sodium chlorid. The phosphoric acid is determined in the
filtrate by means of a standard solution of uranium nitrate in the manner already described.
Spencer found that the separation of the phosphoric acid by the silver method was more exact
than by the Joulie magnesium citrate process. With practice on the part of the analyst in
determining the end reaction the process is both rapid and accurate. The method is also
inexpensive, as both the silver and uranium are easily recovered from the waste.
114. Volumetric Silver Method.—Holleman has proposed a modification of the silver method
for the volumetric determination of phosphoric acid, which is conducted in the following manner:
[97]
In a flask of 200 cubic centimeters capacity, are placed fifty cubic centimeters of the liquid to be
analyzed, which should not contain more than two-tenths gram of phosphoric acid. The solution is
treated with ten cubic centimeters of a normal solution of sodium acetate and afterwards with a
slight excess of decinormal silver solution, four and five-tenths cubic centimeters for each 0.01
gram of phosphoric acid. The solution is then neutralized with tenth normal sodium hydroxid, the
amount required having been previously determined by titrating ten cubic centimeters of the liquid
to be analyzed, using phenolphthalein as an indicator. Five times the quantity required for the
neutralization of the ten cubic centimeters is added, less one-half cubic centimeter. By this
treatment the phosphoric acid in the presence of sodium acetate is completely precipitated as
silver phosphate. The excess of silver is determined by diluting the mixture to 200 cubic
centimeters, filtering, and titrating 100 cubic centimeters of the filtrate with ammonium thiocyanate.
The presence of sulfuric and nitric acids does not interfere with the reaction, but of course
hydrochloric acid must be absent. Alkalies and alkaline earth metals may be present, but not the
heavy metals.
When iron and aluminum are present 100 cubic centimeters of the solution are precipitated
with thirty cubic centimeters of normal sodium acetate, the phosphoric acid is determined in fifty
cubic centimeters of the filtrate, and the precipitate of iron and aluminum phosphates is ignited and
weighed, and its weight multiplied by 2.225 is added to the phosphoric anhydrid found
volumetrically. If ammonia be present it must be removed by boiling, as otherwise it affects the
titration with phenolphthalein.
For agricultural purposes this method can have but little value inasmuch as the phosphates to
be examined almost always have a certain proportion of iron and aluminum. Inasmuch as the
amount of these bases has to be determined gravimetrically, there would be no gain in time and
no simplification of the processes by the use of the volumetric method as proposed.
TECHNICAL DETERMINATION
OF PHOSPHORIC ACID.
115. Desirability Of Methods.—In the preceding paragraphs, has been given a statement of
the principal methods now in use by chemists and others connected with fertilizer control for the
scientific and agronomic determinations of phosphoric acid, and its agricultural value.
A résumé of the important methods, in a form suited to use in a factory for preparing
phosphatic fertilizers for the market, seems desirable. In these factories the chemists have been
accustomed to use their own, or private methods, and there has not been a general disposition
among them to publish their methods and experience for the common benefit. For factory
processes, a method should be not only reasonably accurate, but also simple and rapid. It is
evident, therefore, that the general principles already indicated must underlie any method which
would prove useful to factory work. Albert has made a résumé of such methods applicable for
factory control, and these are given here for convenience, although they are, in many respects, but
condensed statements of methods already described.[98]
116. Reagents.—Molybdate Solution.—One hundred and ten grams of pure molybdic acid are
dissolved in ammonia of nine-tenths specific gravity and diluted with water to one liter. The
solution is poured into one liter of nitric acid, of one and two-tenths specific gravity, and, after
standing a few days, filtered.
Concentrated Ammonium Nitrate Solution.—Seven hundred and fifty grams of pure ammonium
nitrate are dissolved in water and made up to one liter.
Magnesia Mixture.—Fifty-five grams of magnesium chlorid; seventy grams of ammonium
chlorid; 130 cubic centimeters of ammonia of nine-tenths specific gravity are dissolved and diluted
with water to one liter.
Two and One-Half Per Cent Ammonia.—One hundred cubic centimeters of ammonia of nine-
tenths specific gravity are diluted with water to one liter.
Joulie’s Citrate Solution.—Four hundred grams of citric acid are dissolved in ammonia of nine-
tenths specific gravity and diluted to one liter with ammonia of the same strength.
Wagner’s Citrate Solution.—One hundred and fifty grams of citric acid are exactly neutralized
with ammonia, then ten grams of citric acid added and diluted to one liter with water.
Sodium Acetate Solution.—One hundred grams of sodium acetate, crystallized, are dissolved
in water, treated with 100 cubic centimeters of acetic acid, and diluted to one liter with water.
Calcium Phosphate Solution.—About ten grams of dry, pure tribasic calcium phosphate are
dissolved in nitric acid and diluted with water to one liter. In this solution the phosphoric acid is
determined gravimetrically by the molybdate or citrate method, and the value of the solution
marked on the flask containing it.
Titrated Uranium Solution.—Two hundred and fifty grams of uranium nitrate are dissolved in
water, twenty-five grams of sodium acetate added, and the whole diluted to seven liters. One cubic
centimeter of this solution corresponds to about 0.005 gram of phosphorus pentoxid. In order to
determine its exact value proceed as follows: Twenty-five cubic centimeters of the calcium
phosphate solution which, for example, has been found to contain 0.10317 gram of phosphorus
pentoxid, are neutralized in a porcelain dish with ammonia, acidified with acetic, treated with ten
cubic centimeters of sodium acetate solution, and warmed. Through a burette as much uranium
solution is allowed to flow as is necessary to show in a drop of the solution taken out of the dish,
when treated with a drop of pure potassium ferrocyanid, a slight brown color. In order to be certain,
this operation is repeated two or three times with new quantities of twenty-five cubic centimeters of
calcium phosphate solution. Example:
Twenty-five cubic centimeters of the calcium phosphate solution containing
0.10317 gram of phosphorus pentoxid, gave as a mean of three determinations
23.2 cubic centimeters of the uranium solution necessary to produce the brown
color with potassium ferrocyanid. Consequently 0.10317 ÷ 23.2 = 0.00445
gram of phosphorus pentoxid equivalent to one cubic centimeter of uranium
solution. If, for instance, a quantity of fertilizer weighing exactly five grams,
require ten cubic centimeters of the uranium solution for the complete
precipitation of its phosphoric acid, then the quantity of phosphoric acid
contained in the fertilizer would be equivalent to 10 × 0.0045, equivalent to
0.0445 gram of phosphorus pentoxid. The fertilizer, therefore, contains eight
and nine-tenths per cent of phosphorus pentoxid.
Conduct of the Molybdenum Method.—This method rests upon the precipitation of the phosphorus
pentoxid by a solution of ammonium molybdate in nitric acid, solution of the precipitate in ammonia, and
subsequent precipitation with magnesia.
Manipulation.—Twenty-five or fifty cubic centimeters of a solution of the phosphate which has been
made up to a standard volume and containing about one-tenth gram of phosphorus pentoxid, are placed
in a beaker together with 100 cubic centimeters of the molybdate solution and treated with as much
ammonium nitrate solution as will be sufficient to give the liquid a content of fifteen per cent of
ammonium nitrate. The contents of the beaker are well mixed and warmed for about twenty minutes at
from 60° to 80°. After cooling, they are filtered and the precipitate washed on the filter with cold water
until a drop of the filtrate saturated with ammonia does not become opaque on treatment with
ammonium oxalate. The filtrate is then washed from the filter with two and one-half per cent ammonia
solution and precipitated slowly and with constant stirring by the magnesia mixture. After standing for
two hours the ammonium magnesium phosphate is separated by filtration, washed with two and one-
half per cent ammonia until the filtrate contains no more chlorin, and ignited.
Conduct of the Citrate Method.—The principle of this method depends upon the fact that when a
sufficient quantity of ammonium citrate is added to phosphate solutions, iron, alumina, and lime are
retained in solution when, on the addition of the magnesia mixture in the presence of free ammonia, the
phosphoric acid is completely precipitated as ammonium magnesium phosphate.
Manipulation.—From ten to fifty cubic centimeters of the solution of the phosphate to be determined
are treated with fifteen cubic centimeters of the Joulie citrate solution avoiding warming. A few pieces of
filter-paper, the ash content of which is known, are thrown in and, with stirring, fifteen cubic centimeters
of magnesia mixture slowly added and if necessary also some free ammonia. By the small pieces of
filter-paper the collection of the precipitate against the sides of the vessel and on the stirring rod is
prevented and in this way the production of the precipitate hastened. After standing from one-half an
hour to two hours the mixture is filtered, ignited, and weighed. If it be preferred to estimate the
phosphoric acid by titration, the precipitate is dissolved in a little nitric acid, made slightly alkaline with
ammonia, and then acid with acetic and then afterwards titrated with the standard uranium solution.
Conduct of the Uranium Method.—The principle upon which this method rests depends upon the fact
that uranium nitrate or acetate precipitates uranium phosphate from solutions containing phosphoric
acid and which contain no other free acid except acetic. In the presence of ammonium salts the
precipitate is uranium ammonium phosphate having the formula PO₄NH₄UrO₂. The smallest excess of
soluble uranium salt is at once detected by the ordinary treatment with potassium ferrocyanid.
Manipulation.—In all cases the solution is first made slightly alkaline with ammonia and then acid by
a few drops of acetic, so that no free mineral acid may be present.
(1) With liquids free from iron:
If, on the addition of ammonium or sodium acetate, no turbidity be produced, the liquid is free from
iron and alumina. In this case from ten to fifty cubic centimeters of the solution containing about one-
tenth gram of phosphorus pentoxid are treated with ten cubic centimeters of sodium acetate, and
afterwards with a quantity of uranium solution corresponding, as nearly as possible, to its supposed
content of phosphorus pentoxid, and heated to boiling. From the heated liquid by means of a glass rod,
one or two drops are taken and placed upon a porcelain plate and one drop of a freshly prepared
solution of potassium ferrocyanid allowed to flow on it. If no brown color be seen at the point of contact
of the two drops, additional quantities of the uranium solution are added and, after boiling, again tested
with potassium ferrocyanid until a brown color is distinctly visible. The quantity of the uranium solution
thus having been determined, duplicate analyses can be made and the whole quantity of the uranium
solution added at once with the exception of the last drops, which are added as before.
(2) Solutions containing iron and alumina.
The solution is treated with the ammonium citrate solution of Joulie, the magnesia mixture added
slowly, and the precipitate collected on a filter and washed with two and one-half per cent ammonia. The
precipitate is then dissolved in nitric acid, made alkaline with ammonia, and then acid with acetic. This
solution is then treated with ten cubic centimeters of sodium acetate and titrated with uranium, as
described in (1). As an alternative method, 200 cubic centimeters of the superphosphate solution may
be treated with fifty cubic centimeters of sodium acetate, allowed to stand for some time, and filtered
through a filter of known ash content. In fifty cubic centimeters of the filtrate, which correspond to forty
cubic centimeters of the original solution, phosphoric acid may be determined as described above. The
precipitate, consisting of iron and aluminum phosphates, is washed three times on the filter with boiling
water, dried, and ignited in a platinum dish. The weight of ignited precipitate, diminished by the weight of
the ash contained in the filter and divided by two, gives the quantity of phosphorus pentoxid which it is
necessary to add to that obtained by titration.
117. Determination of the Phosphoric Acid in all Phosphates and Basic Slags.—
(1) Total phosphoric Acid:
Five grams of the fine phosphate meal, or slag meal, are moistened in a flask of 500 cubic
centimeters content with some water and boiled on a sand-bath with forty cubic centimeters of
hydrochloric acid of from 16° to 20° Beaumé. The boiling is continued until only a few cubic centimeters
of a thick jelly of silicic acid remain. After cooling, some water is added and the phosphate shaken until
the thick lumps of silica are finely divided. The flask is then filled to 500 cubic centimeters and its
contents filtered. Fifty cubic centimeters of the filtrate are treated with fifteen cubic centimeters of the
Joulie solution and treated in the manner described with magnesia mixture, precipitated, ignited, and
weighed. The precipitate can also be dissolved and treated with uranium solution as described.
The method used by Oliveri may also be employed and it is carried out as indicated in the following
description:[99]
A weighed quantity of the slag is reduced to a fine powder. To five grams of the sample is added
three times its weight of potassium chlorate and the whole is intimately mixed. The mixture is then
placed in a porcelain dish and hydrochloric acid is added, little by little, until the potash salt is completely
decomposed. It is evaporated until the mass is dry. The material is then treated with fuming nitric acid,
and the determination of the phosphorus is made by the ordinary gravimetric method.
By carrying on the operation as described above, a reduction of phosphoric acid is avoided, and the
presence of an abundant quantity of potash prevents the formation of basic iron phosphate which is
insoluble in nitric acid.
(2) Citrate-Soluble Phosphoric Acid.—One gram of the basic slag or phosphate is placed in a 100
cubic centimeter flask and covered with Wagner’s acid citrate solution making the total volume up to 100
cubic centimeters. With frequent shaking the flask is kept at 40° for an hour, or it may be allowed to
stand for twelve hours at room temperature with frequent shaking. In fifty cubic centimeters of the filtrate
from this flask the phosphoric acid is determined by the magnesia mixture as described. Since, in the
present case, the precipitate of ammonium magnesium phosphate contains some silicic acid it cannot
be directly ignited but must be treated in the following manner: The precipitate and the filter are thrown
into a porcelain dish, the filter-paper torn up into shreds with a glass rod, the precipitate dissolved in
nitric acid, neutralized with ammonia, acidified with acetic, and treated with uranium solution. The
phosphoric acid may also be estimated by the gravimetric method by dissolving the precipitate again in
hydrochloric or nitric acid, evaporating to dryness, and drying for one hour at from 110° to 120°,
dissolving again in hydrochloric acid, filtering, and washing the precipitate well. The filtrate, which is now
free from silica, can be treated with Joulie’s solution, precipitated with magnesia mixture, the precipitate
washed, ignited, and weighed as described. The molybdenum method is preferred in the estimation of
citrate-soluble phosphoric acid, especially in slags. For this purpose fifty cubic centimeters of the filtrate
from the solution of one gram of slag in 100 cubic centimeters of Wagner’s citrate liquid are treated with
100 cubic centimeters of molybdenum solution and thirty cubic centimeters of ammonium nitrate
solution, warmed for twenty minutes at 80°, filtered after cooling, and the yellow precipitate washed with
cold water. The water will gradually dissolve all the silicic acid from the yellow precipitate and carry it into
the filtrate. The yellow precipitate is then dissolved in two and one-half per cent liquid ammonia and
precipitated with magnesia mixture and the precipitate washed, ignited, and weighed in the way
described.
118. Determination of Phosphoric Acid in Superphosphates.—(1) Citrate-Soluble Phosphoric
Acid.—Five grams of the superphosphate are rubbed with 100 cubic centimeters of Wagner’s acid
citrate solution in a mortar and washed into a flask of 500 cubic centimeters content and diluted to 500
cubic centimeters with water. With frequent shaking the flask is allowed to stand for twelve hours, after
which its contents are filtered. Fifty cubic centimeters of the filtrate are treated with ten cubic centimeters
of the Joulie solution and fifteen cubic centimeters of the magnesia mixture and, if necessary, made
distinctly alkaline with ammonia, vigorously stirred, and, after two hours, filtered. The precipitate is
washed, ignited, and weighed as described, or titrated, after solution in nitric acid and the addition of
sodium acetate, with uranium solution. Example:
The weighed precipitate has 0.1272 gram Mg₂P₂O₇ then the phosphate
contains 12.72 × 2 × 0.64 = 16.28 per cent of citrate-soluble P₂O₅.
(2) Water-Soluble Phosphoric Acid.—Twenty grams of superphosphate are rubbed in a mortar and
washed into a flask of one liter content and made up to the mark with water. After two hours’ digestion
with frequent shaking, the contents of the flask are filtered through a folded filter. Twenty-five cubic
centimeters of the filtrate equivalent to five-tenths gram of the substance are precipitated with magnesia
mixture, the precipitate filtered, washed, ignited, and weighed, or the moist filtrate may be dissolved
upon the filter with a little nitric acid, treated with sodium acetate, and titrated, as described, with
uranium solution.
Example: 14.5 cubic centimeters of the uranium solution are required for the
precipitate from twenty-five cubic centimeters of the original solution = 0.5
gram superphosphate; it contains then 14.5 × 0.00445 = 0.0645 gram P₂O₅.
Consequently the superphosphate contains 12.90 per cent of water-soluble
P₂O₅.
Total Phosphoric Add.—Twenty grams of the superphosphate are boiled with fifty cubic centimeters
of hydrochloric acid of from 16° to 18° Beaumé for about ten minutes and, after cooling, made up to one
liter with water and filtered. Twenty-five cubic centimeters of the filtrate are treated with ten cubic
centimeters of Joulie’s citrate solution, a few pieces of filter-paper thrown in, fifteen cubic centimeters of
magnesia mixture added, and the whole thoroughly stirred. After standing two hours the contents of the
flask are filtered and the precipitate is washed with dilute ammonia and the filter and the precipitate are
placed in a platinum crucible. The crucible is heated slowly until the moisture is driven off and the filter
burned. Then the temperature is gradually raised to a white heat. The residue is cooled and weighed.
Example:
The precipitate weighs, after the subtraction of the filter ash, 0.1390 gram; then
the superphosphate contains 13.90 × 2 × 0.64 = 17.79 per cent phosphoric
acid.
From this it appears that the quantity of acid dissolved increases with the temperature of digestion
with the exception of the number obtained at 50°. When the time of digestion was increased there was
also found a progressive increase in the amount of acid passing into solution. At 40° for forty-five
minutes the per cent dissolved was 4.97, and at 40° for one hour it was 5.92. These early
determinations had the effect of calling attention to the thoroughly empirical process which was in use,
in many modified forms, by agricultural chemists, the world over for determining so-called reverted
phosphoric acid in fertilizers. Since the publication of the paper above named many investigations have
been undertaken by Huston and others relating to this matter.[111] The general results of these studies,
tabulated by Huston, are given below.[112]
Influence of Temperature.
129. Digestion Apparatus for Reverted Phosphates.—The digestion apparatus used by Huston
consists of two wheels twenty-five centimeters in diameter, mounted on the same axis, having a clear
space of four and one-half centimeters between them.[118] In the periphery of each wheel are cut twelve
notches, which are to receive the posts bearing the rings through which the necks of the flasks pass.
The posts are held in place by nuts which are screwed down on the faces of the wheel. Should it
become necessary to take the apparatus apart, it is only necessary to loosen the nuts and the set screw
holding one wheel to the shaft and all the parts can at once be removed. The posts extend ten
centimeters beyond the face of the wheels, and the rings are four centimeters in internal diameter.
Perforated plates, bearing a cross-bar, and held in place by strong spiral springs attached to the plate
and the base of the posts, serve to hold the flasks in place. Each plate has a number stenciled through it
for convenience in identifying the flasks when it is time to remove them. Attached to the outside of each
post, close to the outer end, is a heavy wire which passes entirely around the apparatus, serving to
keep the plates in place after they are removed from the flasks.
The apparatus is mounted on a substantial framework, thirty-six centimeters high and thirty
centimeters wide at the base. The space in which the wheel revolves is fourteen centimeters wide. The
base bars connecting the two sides are extended seven centimeters beyond one side, and serve for the
attachment of lateral bracing. At the top of the framework, at one side, is attached a heavy bar forty-five
centimeters long, which serves to carry the cog gearing which transmits the power. The upright shaft
carries a cone pulley to provide for varying the speed. The usual speed is two revolutions a minute for
the wheel carrying the flasks. The entire apparatus is made of brass. The details of construction are
shown in Fig. 8. Round-bottomed flasks are used, and rubber stoppers are held in place by tying or by a
special clamp shown at the lower right-hand of the figure.
When high temperatures are used, the plates and flasks are handled by the hooks shown at the left
and right-hand upper corners of the figure.
When any other than room temperature is desired, the whole apparatus is immersed in water
contained in the large galvanized tank forming the back-ground of the figures. The tank is seventy-five
centimeters long, seventy-five centimeters high, and thirty centimeters wide. At one end, near the top, is
an extension to provide space for heating the fluid in the flasks before introducing the solid in such
cases as may be desired.
The apparatus is held in place by angle irons soldered to the bottom of the tank and a brace resting
against the upright bar bearing the gear-wheels.
The water in the tank is heated by injecting steam, or by burners under the tank. As the tank holds
about 300 pounds of water the work is not subject to sudden changes of temperature, and little trouble
has been experienced in raising and maintaining the temperature of the water, especially when steam is
used.
An electric motor, or a small water-motor with only a very moderate head of water, will furnish ample
power.
130. Comparison of Results.—The following data show the results obtained by the digester as
compared with those furnished by the official method, temperature and time of digestion being the same
in each instance.