Gerrit Jan
                Mulder

Gerrit Jan Mulder (1802 - 1880) on proteine

    In a series of experiments in the 1830s, Mulder heated a series of albuminous substances (e.g., egg white, blood, milk solids, & plant gluten) with lye (NaOH), and obtained a product that when neutralized with acid produced a whitish precipitate. Analysis indicated that this product always contain  ~16% nitrogen, no matter the source. He concluded that this 'root substance' was basic to all living organisms, and named it proteine, derived from a Greek word meaning first or primary, a term suggested by the Swedish chemist Berzelius.

HOMEWORK. Some textbooks derive the word Protein from the Greek word Protean: why might you think so?


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