46—AN INVESTIGATION OF THE SULPHUR COMPOUNDS IN ACID HYDROLYSATES OF WOOL

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Abstract
Seven 35S-labelled compounds, in addition to 35S-methionine and 35S-cystine, have been found in hydrolysates of 35S-labelled wool by starch chromatography, and four of these, tentatively named SI, S2, S3 and S4, gave the characteristic blue colour by the Shinohara disulphide reaction. The S-compound S2 has been shown to be identical with cysteine, and to be produced mainly by reaction between tryptophan and cystine during hydrolysis. The seventeen other amino acids present in wool hydrolysates do not decompose cystine in boiling HCI. The S-compounds SI, S3 and S4 have not so far been identified, but accounted for about 4·5% of the colour developed when the Shinohara disulphide reaction was carried out on 24-hour acid hydrolysates of wool. The 35S-cystine contained 80% of the total 35S activity. Starch chromatography of hydrolysates of 35S-labelled wool oxidized wool revealed the presence of four 35S-compounds in addition to 35S-methionine sulphone. 35S-cysteic acid and 35S-cystine. 73% of the 35S activity of the hydrolysate was found in the 35S-cysteic acid.
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