Microscopical Observations on the Contents of the Cotton Fiber Lumen

A method is described for isolating the lumen contents of the cotton fiber by digestion of the cellulose in chilled 72% sulfuric acid. Microscopical observations on the isolated "lumens" as well as the lumen in the whole fiber are reported. The isolated lumens appeared tubular in shape, and electron micrographs of thin sheets of the membrane material showed an unoriented, granular structure. The lumen residue isolated by sulfuric acid was found to be completely hydrolyzed by 1% sodium hydroxide, but only partly hydrolyzed in dilute mineral acid. Amino acid determination by paper chromatography disclosed no free amino acids in the lumen material; but in an acid- hydrolyzed sample, glutamic and aspartic acids, valine, alanine, and probably serine and arginine were found, in addition to several unidentified amino acids.