New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 163 



temperature of 35°-40° to small bulk, again filtered and finally dried 

 in vacuum over sulphuric acid. There remained 0.08 gram of a 

 slightly amber-colored amorphous mass of weak acid reaction on 

 litmus paper and a slight acid taste. The aqueous solution reduced 

 Fehling's solution strongly on boiling, and it also gave the orcine 

 and phloroglucine reactions. The small quantity of the substance 

 prevented any further examination. 



In another case 2| grams of the same barium salt were boiled 

 with 100 cc. N/1 H2 SO4 under reflux condenser for ten hours. After 

 treating in the same way as above 0.3 gm. unchanged substance was 

 obtained and the filtrate showed exactly the same properties as 

 mentioned above. That is, it reduced Fehhng's solution strongly 

 on boiling, gave the reactions with orcine and phloroglucine, but 

 attempts to isolate inosite failed, as no trace of this substance could 

 be found. 



PREPARATION OF INOSITE FROM THE BARIUM SALT. 



Of the same barium salt (C20 H45 O49 P9 Bas) 2.73 grams and 

 20 cc. 5/N H2 SO4 were heated in a sealed tube for three hours to 160°. 

 There was no pressure noticeable on opening the tube. Some free 

 carbon had separated and the solution was of light-brown color. 

 The neutrahzed solution did not reduce Fehling's solution. The 

 inosite was isolated in the usual way, and after re-crystallizing from 

 dilute alcohol and ether was obtained in needle-shaped crystals free 

 from water of crystallization. It gave the reaction of Scherer and 

 melted at 220.5° (uncorrected), which leaves no doubt but that the 

 substance was pure inosite. Yield 0.73 gm., which is equal to 

 90 per ct. of the total carbon present in the barium salt used. The 

 air-dried substance was analyzed. 



0.1649 gm. substance gave 0.1038 gm. H2O and 0.2406 gm. CO2. 



0.1323 gm. substance gave 0.0815 gm. H2O and 0.1931 gm. CO2. 



For CeHe (OH) 6 =180. 



Calculated C 40.00 H 6.66 per ct. 



Found C 39.80 H 7.04 per ct. 

 C 39.80 H 6.89 per ct. 



The 0.2 per ct. hydrochloric acid extract of bran contains some 

 dissolved proteins. On precipitating with alcohol these are thrown 

 down together with the phosphorus compounds. Their presence 

 makes the subsequent purification difficult, especially the filtrations, 

 because the proteins have been rendered more or less insoluble and 

 form a fine slimy mass which clogs the filter paper to such an extent 

 as to make filtration even by suction extremely tedious. 



In order to obviate this the suggestion was made by Dr. Jordan 

 to first precipitate the bran extract with tannic acid. 



The addition of tannic acid was found to cause a voluminous and 

 very fine precipitate which after standing a short time becomes 



