ALBUMEN forms a constituent principle of plants and animals ; and its essential pro perties are found to be the same from which ever kingdom of the organised world it is de rived. It is found in the green fecuke of plants in general ; in the fresh shoots of trees; in the sap of many plants; in the bitter almond, the sweet-almond, and the emulsive seeds in general; but it exists in the greatest abundance in such vegetables as ferment without yeast, and afford a vinous liquor. But albumen exists much more abundantly in animals than in plants. It forms a consti tuent both of the animal fluids and solids. Of the animal fluids, it forms an essential part of the serum of the blood ; it abounds iu the fluid that moistens the surface of the internal cavities of the body and of the organs they contain ; and it exists in large quantity in the watery fluid poured out into those cavities in the disease termed dropsy. White of egg is nearly pure albumen: when liquid it soon putrefies; but if carefully dried it may belong preserved. In the animal solids, albumen forms the principal part of the skin, of fibrin, the basis of muscle or flesh, and of the organs called glands. It is an intricate compound of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, and phosphorus.
The most remarkable property of albumen is its power of solidifying under circumstances which would rather tend to liquefy than to solidify most substances. White of egg shows
white fibres at a temperature of 134° F., soli difies at 100°, and becomes horny at 212°. When mixed with water, a higher temperature is required for coagulation. Albumen is pre cipitated in white fibres, by agitating white of egg with alcohol. Galvanic action will also coagulate albumen. Many of the stronger acids and salts will have the same effect; and so delicate a test of the presence of this sub stance is the bichloride of mercury, or, as it is commonly called, corrosive sublimate, that if a single drop of a saturated solution of cor rosive sublimate be let fall into water contain ing only the two-thousandth part of albumen, it will occasion a milkiness in the water, and produce a curdy precipitate.
Albumen is not as a distinct substance, largely used in manufactures ; but its pre sence in many natural substances greatly in fillelICAS the manufacturing processes It is employed as a glaze, or species of varnish, and as a clarifier for wines and syrups. Al bumen powder is made by drying white of egg to a horny consistency, and reducing it to powder ; it is in this state exported largely to the West India sugar plantations, where it is used to clarify sugar.