



New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 337 



very dark in color and some carbonaceous substance had separated 

 showing that considerable decomposition had taken place. The 

 sulphuric and phosphoric acids were precipitated with excess of 

 barium hydroxide, filtered and washed and the filtrate freed from 

 excess of barium with carbon dioxide. The filtrate was evaporated 

 to small bulk and decolorized with animal charcoal and then evapo- 

 rated to dryness on the water-bath. The residue was taken up in 

 a little hot water, filtered from traces of barium carbonate and the 

 inosite brought to crystallize by the addition of alcohol and ether. 

 It separated in needles free from water of crystallization. After 

 filtering, washing in alcohol and ether and drying in the air it weighed 

 1.6 grams which represents a yield of about 75 per ct. of the total 

 carbon. For analysis it was recrystallized seven times in the same 

 manner as above and was finally obtained in beautiful colorless 

 needles free from water of crystallization. It melted at 223 

 (uncorrected) and gave the reaction of Scherer. It did not lose in 

 weight on drying at 105° in vacuum over phosphorus pentoxide. 



0.1442 gram subst. gave 0.0878 gram H 2 and 0.2113 gram C0 2 . 



Found: C = 39.96; H = 6.81 per ct. 



For C 6 Hi 2 6 calculated: C = 40.00; H = 6.66 per ct. 



HYDROLYSIS OF THE ACID WITH WATER ALONE. 



The acid which was used had been prepared from the amorphous 

 barium salt. Two grams of the dry preparation were heated with 

 25 c.c. of water in a sealed tube to 190° for 3| hours. After cooling 

 there was no pressure on opening the tube. The content was of 

 dark brown color and a considerable quantity of a black, carbonized 

 substance had separated. The whole was diluted with water and 

 filtered and the phosphoric acid was precipitated with barium 

 hydroxide in excess. The precipitate was filtered off and examined 

 to see if any unchanged barium phytate could be isolated from it. 

 Apparently the acid had been completely decomposed during the 

 heating as no trace of barium phytate could be found. 



The filtrate from the barium phosphate was freed from excess of 

 barium by carbon dioxide and the filtrate evaporated to dryness 

 on the water-bath. The residue was a sticky, amber-colored syrup. 

 It was taken up in a small amount of water and washed into an 

 Erlenmeyer flask. On the addition of alcohol the solution turned 

 cloudy but it could not be brought to crystallize by repeated scratch- 

 ing with a glass rod. It was allowed to stand over night when an 

 amber-colored syrupy layer had separated on the bottom. The 

 upper portion of the liquid was poured off and mixed with ether. On 

 standing a further quantity of amber-colored syrup had separated. 

 The liquid was decanted and evaporated on the water-bath until a 

 small syrupy residue remained. On scratching with a glass rod 

 a substance began to crystallize in small prisms. The other syrups 



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