Gerrit Jan
Mulder (1802 - 1880)
on proteine
In a
series of experiments in the 1830s, Mulder heated a series of
albuminous substances (e.g., egg white, blood, milk
solids, & plant gluten) with lye (NaOH), and
obtained a product that when neutralized with acid produced a
whitish precipitate. Analysis indicated that this product
always contain ~16% nitrogen, no matter
the source. He concluded that this 'root substance' was basic to all living
organisms, and named it proteine,
derived from a Greek word meaning first or primary, a term suggested by the
Swedish chemist Berzelius.
HOMEWORK.
Some textbooks derive the word Protein from the Greek
word Protean: why might you think so?