New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 353 



sponding to 10 grams of the dry substance) were dissolved in about 

 500 cubic centimeters of water and barium hydroxide (Kahlbaum, 

 alkali free) added to slight alkaline reaction. The precipitate was 

 filtered and washed several times in water. The barium precipitate 

 was reserved for special examination. 



The filtrate was examined for inosite as follows: The excess of 

 barium hydroxide was precipitated with carbon dioxide, filtered and 

 evaporated on the water bath nearly to dryness. The residue was 

 taken up in a few cubic centimeters of hot water, filtered from a 

 small amount of barium carbonate and the filtrate mixed with 

 alcohol and ether and allowed to stand for several days in the ice 

 chest. A trace of a white amorphous precipitate had separated but 

 absolutely no inosite crystals appeared. 



In case the organic part of the phytic acid molecule, corresponding 

 to the inorganic phosphoric acid present, had separated as inosite 

 the above quantity, 10 grams, should have contained about 0.3 

 gram of inosite and such a quantity could not have escaped detection. 

 Since no inosite could be isolated it seems fair to assume that under 

 the above conditions of spontaneous decomposition phytic acid 

 does not decompose into inosite and phosphoric acid but into phos- 

 phoric acid -f- some unknown substance. 



examination of the above barium precipitate. 



In the hope of throwing some light upon the nature of this un- 

 known substance the barium precipitate obtained on the addition 

 of barium hydroxide was examined as follows : It was rubbed up with 

 about 400 cubic centimeters of 0.5 per ct. hydrochloric acid and 

 brought into solution by the careful addition of dilute hydrochloric 

 acid. After filtering, it was precipitated by adding an equal volume 

 of alcohol. The precipitate was filtered, washed in dilute alcohol, 

 dissolved in 0.5 per ct. hydrochloric acid and reprecipitated by 

 barium hydroxide. The substance was then precipitated twice 

 from 0.5 per ct. hydrochloric acid with alcohol, finally filtered, 

 washed in dilute alcohol, alcohol and ether and dried in vacuum 

 over sulphuric acid. A white amorphous powder was obtained 

 which weighed 14 grams. It was free from chlorides and inorganic 

 phosphate. After drying at 105° in vacuum over phosphorus 

 pentoxide the following results were obtained. 



Found: C = 7.83; H = 1.46; P = 16.72; Ba = 36.96 per ct. 



The carbon found is much too high for a pure barium phytate. 



PREPARATION OF CRYSTALLIZED BARIUM PHYTATE FROM THE 

 ABOVE AMORPHOUS BARIUM SALT. 



The substance was rubbed up in a mortar with about 150 cubic 

 centimeters of cold water and allowed to stand for several hours. 



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