Evening star., 1953-05-25
White Of Egg Is Found
Remarkably Complex
Solution Of Eight Proteins
Hos UnusuoI Properties
By Thomos R. Henry

Department of Agriculture chemists
are tearing apart the white Of an egg.
It is, they have found, q remarkably
complex material-essentially a solu-
ton Of eight proteinS. or nitrogen
containing substances which consti-
tute the building stones Of the animal
body-each Of which has unusual
properties. The group as Q whole may
have far-reaching implications, at
least so far as a better understanding
Of life processes is concerned.
They have just listed these egg
white constituents:
Conalbumin. IL per cent, which forms
completes with metal molecules, eSpe-
cially Of iron. It takes the iron out of
circulation, and thus retards bacterial
growth by iron starvation.
Ovomucoid, IL per cent, which has
the peculiar property Of inhibiting the
action Of the engine trypsin, one Of
the activating substances in digestive
fluid. It is important that its activities
be kept well-balanced
Lysozyme, 3.5 per cent, which at
tackS the cell walls and thus kills
certain bacteria.
Ovomucin, is per cent. which is
responsible for the Ceiling properties
Of egg white and may have q certain
-bloodclotting activity.
Avidin, tenth Of one per cent, which
combines with the vitamin biotin, the
most potent growth substance known,
and thus tends to retard growth.
Ovalbumin. 81 per cent, which
coagulates easily and constitutes the
chief food material of egg-white.
Two Unidentified.
Left still unidentified are two pre-
sumably unknown proteins, mixed with
q lot of inorganic salts and sugar
In much the same way the Agri.
culture Department chemists are tear
ing apart the whey of milk. They
have found four proteins one of which.
alpha ha-lactoalbumin, may be of par
ticular Importance in nutrition since
it contains the amino acids tryptophane
and custine. which the human body
does not manufacture for itself.
4
The Navy has set up and tested q
Sofar network covering the entire east
ern North Pacific.
BY means of this network, the test
indicates. 1t should be possible to locate
quite precisely any ship or plane in
distress in that area.
It is based on the discovery, which
first became generally known early in
the war, that sounds originating at
certain depth in the sea will travel
thousands of miles with little diminu-
ton Of their intensity. In deep sea
water the speed of sound decreases in
depth to point several hundred
fathoms below the surface. Then it
increases to the bottom.
Sound DETECTED.
A sound which originates at the line
between the increase and decrease in
speed will be reflected back and forth
almost indefinitely. This level. in the
North Pacific, has been determined to
be about 1000 feet below the surface.
So bomb is dropped with an explo-
sion apparatus set to detonate it pre-
cisely when it reaches the pressure Of
the 2.000-foot level.
There are three land stations. two
on the California coast and one in
Hawaii. Speed of sound at that depth
is precisely known The time differ
ence In the arrival of the signal at
the three stations gives about the most
precise possible location Tor the source
of the sound.
Tests with 1900 bombs dropped over
the Northeast Pacific have shown that
more than SO per cent of the detona-
tions are heard at all three stations.
The longest distance covered with good
reception has been 4,340 nautical miles.
One of the annoyances is the con-
slant background noise of the deep sea
which frequently varies in nature and
intensity. This is experienced especial
ly at the Hawaii station. It reaches its
intensity during the season when
whales and porpoises are most numer-
Gus in the area and is believed to be
due to the barking" of these mammals.
Fortunately, none of the background
noises have the same sound as bomb
explosions.