Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/444

* SACCHARIN. 404 SACHALINE. pcan countries, ami is now manufactured on a iaige scale in Germany. The process is as fol- lows: Toluol, C0H5CH3, a hydrocarbon ob- tained from coal-tar, is carefully treated with concentrated sulphuric acid; the result is 11 mix- ture of ortho- and para-toluol-sulphonic acids. These are acted on by phosphorus peutacliloride, which converts them into the corresponding ortho- and para-toluol sulphochlorides. The ortho- compound is liquid, and is easily separated by pressire from the solid para-derivative, which is discarded. The ortho-toluol sulphochloride, /CH3 whose formula is CbHi is now treated SO2Cl with ammonia, which produces the ortho-toluol siilphamide, CjHi. This is then oxidized SO2NH2 by potassium permanganate, and thus converted /C0 into ortho-benzo-sulphimide, CgHj NH.tne S0,/ final product, which is precipitated from the so- lution on adding an acid. It forms a white pow- der, only slightly soluble in water, but readily soluble in alkaline liquids. Recent experiments show that the ]iure substance possesses about 500 times the sweetening power of cane-sugar. The conunercial product, however, often contains as nuich as 50 per cent, of impurities, and its sweet- ening power is only about 300 times as great as that of cane-sugar. Saccharin is usually sold in tablets of one grain each, mixed with a little bi- carbonate of soda, to increase solubilit.y. These may be dissolved in water, in milk, or in coffee. Saccharin is now largel.y used in the manufac- ture of cordials and mineral w'aters, in baking, preserving fruit, etc. SACCHAEOMYCETES, sak'ka-r6-mi-se'tez (Neo-Lat. nom. pi,, from ML. sacclwnim, sugar -)- Gk. iJAjK-qs, mijlcfs, mushroom). One of six a, reproduction by buddiug ; b, formation of spores ; c, nuclear division in budding. great groups of fimgi (q.v.), and containing the yeasts. (See Fermentation.) Yeasts are one- celled plants with a peculiar method of growth termed budding, in which the cell puts out one or more processes which finally become pinched oil' from the mother cell. The buds may remain attached for a long time, so that they form an irregular group of cells clinging together. .Many yeasts form spores, the protoplasm separating in- to two or four masses that become walled and lie inside the mother cell. Saccharomyces cere- visia;, the beer yeast, has been cultivated for cen- turies and is not known in the wild state. The origin of such yeasts is not certain, but all evi- dence points to their derivation from some of the higher fungi. The conidia of manv ascomycctes and basidiom.ycetes, and especially the snuits, will bud extensively in culture solutions and in- duce fermentation. None of the cultivated yeasts are known to have come from these wild yeast stages, which are generally mere passing pliases of much more complicated life histories. The .vea.st of wine fermentation is said to originate from spores of the filamentous mildew-like fungus (Dematium) that grows on the surface of grapes. It is well understood that the cultivated yeasts constitute fixed species that have not been made to develop into other fungi. Tlie identification of 3'easts is a matter of prac- tical importance to those who use the organisms in brewing, because certain wild yeasts seri- ously injure or spoil the work of the beer yeast. The species are distinguished chiefiy bv physio- logical characters, among which are the maxi- mum and minimum temperatures of growth, and the optimum temperature for spore formation. Some beers and ales owe their peculiarities not alone to the character of the wort, but to the specific nature of the yeasts employed. SACCHETTI, sak-ket'te, Franco (c.1330- C.1309). An Italian novelist and poet, born in Florence. His most important work is a col- lection of several hundred Novelle, simple, straightforward descriptions of real events in many instances, and admirable pictures of the society of his time. They were written about 1302-95. and were first published in 1724. The best edition is that of Gi.gli (Florence, 1860). Ten of the tales are translated in Roscoe's Italinn Novelists ( 1825). His ballads are of great fresh- ness and charm. There is a good edition of them bj' Franchi and Majonchi (Lucca, 18.'53). and some of the best are included in Carducci's .S7»rfi lettenirU, SACCHINI, sak-ke'ne, Antonio Maria Gas- PARO (1734-86). An Italian operatic composer of the Neapolitan school. He was the son of a fisherman, born in the environs of Naples, and owed his musical education to Durante. His first marked success was the opera Semira- mide, produced at Rome in 1762. In con- sequence of the success in Venice of Alessandro ■itcll' Indie (1768), he became director of the Conservatory del Ospedaletto in that city. In 1771 he went to London, where he spent the next ten years, scoring several successes. He then went to Paris, where he wrote two new works, Dardaniis (1784), and his most famous produc- tion, CEdipe a C'olone (1786). He also wrote a large niunber of sacred compositions and some chamber nuisic. SACHALINE, or Giant Knotweed {Polygo- num srichdlincnse). A hardy perennial herb 6 to 12 feA high with strong, extensively spreading rootstocks, broad, nearly heart-shaped leaves oft-