Albumin - chemistry.

Albumin - chemistry. Albumin, one of a class of simple proteins, composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and a small percentage of sulfur. Albumin is coagulable by heat, mineral acids, alcohol, and ether and is soluble in water and in a weak salt solution. An important part of the diet, albumin is present in such animal tissues as egg white, milk, and muscle and is found in blood plasma; it occurs also in plants, especially in seeds. Because albumin coagulates when heated to 71° C (160° F), it is useful for removing cloudy precipitates, thus clarifying solutions in sugar refining and other processes. Albumin forms insoluble compounds with many metallic salts, such as bichloride of mercury, sulfate of copper, and nitrate of silver, and is, therefore, used as an antidote to these poisons. A paste made of albumin mixed with slaked lime sets to a mass of stony hardness and is used as cement for broken earthenware. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.