330 Report of the Department of Chemistry of the 



of two different organic phosphoric acids. Only one, however, has 

 been isolated in pure form. By treating the above mentioned 

 amorphous barium salts with small quantities of cold water it was 

 possible to effect a separation into two preparations having entirely 

 different compositions. After the water-soluble portion had been 

 removed the insoluble substance was found to crystallize readily 

 in the same manner and in the same crystal-form as the barium 

 salt obtained from the acid extracted from cottonseed meal, viz: 

 in round or globular masses of microscopic needles. Repeated 

 recrystallizations did not alter the composition except as to the 

 percentage of barium. When allowed to crystallize from dilute 

 hydrochloric acid containing barium chloride a salt is obtained which 

 contains from 40 to 42 per ct. of barium; when it is brought to 

 crystallize from dilute hydrochloric acid solutions by the addition 

 of alcohol the salt contains about 38 per ct. of barium. So far as one 

 can judge by crystal-form, composition, properties and reactions, 

 the crystalline salts obtained from oats and cottonseed meal are 

 identical. 



The water-soluble substance referred to above could be obtained 

 only as a snow-white amorphous powder. In composition it differed 

 entirely from the crystalline product but very slightly from the 

 compound isolated from wheat bran. 4 Owing to the amorphous 

 nature of the substance, however, it is impossible to say at present 

 whether it is a homogeneous body or merely a mixture of various 

 compounds. We hope to study this matter more closely, particularly 

 in comparison with the wheat bran products which we propose to 

 investigate further. 



The composition of the crystalline barium salts obtained from 

 oats and cottonseed meal does not agree with the usually accepted 

 formula for phytic acid, viz: C 6 H 2 40 2 7P6- The analytical results 

 of these preparations would indicate that they are salts of an acid 

 of the formula C2H 6 8 P2 or a multiple of it; probably C 6 H 18 024P6- 

 Such an acid would be isomeric or identical with inosite hexaphos- 

 phate which was suggested by Suzuki and Yoshimura 5 as the for- 

 mula for phytic acid. We have always found, however, that the 

 phosphorus in the free acid prepared from the above barium salts 

 is always about 1 per ct. lower than this formula requires. It is 

 possible that this low percentage of phosphorus is due to partial 

 hydrolysis in drying — which seems the more likely as the hydrogen 

 is always found somewhat high. When the free acid is dried at a 

 temperature of 100° or higher it turns perfectly black in color; even 

 on drying at 60° or 78° in vacuum the color darkens perceptibly, 

 which would indicate some decomposition. It will be shown later 

 that hydrolysis actually does take place on drying and that a large 



I OC Clt 



6 Coll. of Agric. Tokyo, Bull. 7:495. 



