The considerable changes which occur in the behavior of living matter when subjected to high or low temperatures raise interesting questions as to how the temperature affects the behavior of certain substances present in nature.Casein, purified at the point of its maximum flocculation, is able to bind base, forming a salt soluble in water. The amount of casein which passes into solution is not only dependent upon the amount of base added, but also upon the temperature.We propose to study the interdependence of three variables: the base added, the casein dissolved, and the temperature.The properties of casein when dissolved in alkali and combined with base have been studied by a large number of investigators and by different methods. The results obtained may conveniently be considered in terms of the different equivalent combining weights for base that they have ascribed to casein.
II.
The Equivalent Weight of Casein.The combining weight of casein was investigated before the development of the electrolytic dissociation theory. In 1865, Millon and Commaille (1, 2) stated: " . . . la cas6iae, mati~re unique, s'uniralt sans doute A la plupart des acides min6raux et organiques, et si toutes ces combinalsons 6taient r6ellement bien d6finies, il ressortirait de leur 961