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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Paper, 'A cyanogen reaction of proteids' by J Gnezda

Reference number: PP/15/16

Date: 1889

Description

Gnezda writes: 'When dry urea is heated to its melting point it gives off ammonia, and a substance called biuret (C2N3H5O2) remains behind. Biuret is decomposed by heat into ammonia and cyanuric acid (C3N3H3O3). G. Wiedemann discovered that on adding an alkaline solution of copper sulphate to cyanuric acid, a violet solution was produced. The same investigation showed that biuret gave a rose-red solution on treatment with copper sulphate and sodium hydrate.'

Annotations in pencil and ink.

Subject: Organic chemistry

Received 19 December 1889. Read 20 February 1890. Communicated by Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer.

A version of this paper was published in volume 47 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'A cyanogen reaction of proteids'.

Reference number
PP/15/16
Earliest possible date
1889
Physical description
Ink and graphite pencil on paper
Page extent
20 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

J Gnezda

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Citation

J Gnezda, Paper, 'A cyanogen reaction of proteids' by J Gnezda, 1889, PP/15/16, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/pp_15_16/paper-a-cyanogen-reaction-of-proteids-by-j-gnezda, accessed on 13 November 2025

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  • Proceedings Papers

    The archival collection known as 'Proceedings Papers' is comprised of manuscripts and occasional proofs of scientific papers sent to the Royal Society which were read before meetings of Fellows and printed in full in the Proceedings of the Royal Society.

    Dates: 1882 - 1894

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