168 Report of Department of Animal Industry of the 



are very soluble in 0.5 per ct. hydrochloric acid but after the sub- 

 stance has assumed the crystalline form, it is very slightly soluble 

 in this medium. 



While the barium salt was easily obtained in crystalline form it 

 did not contain a constant amount of the base. 



The variations would sometimes amount to as much as 3 or 4 

 per ct., depending upon the amount of the base present in the 

 solution and the conditions under which the substance separated. 

 In the presence of a large excess of barium chloride a salt correspond- 

 ing nearly to tetrabarium phytate crystallizes out; when a small 

 amount of barium chloride is present salts showing the above men- 

 tioned variations are formed; but when the substance has been 

 repeatedly separated from acid solutions with alcohol a salt is 

 obtained which corresponds nearly to tribarium phytate. 



The aqueous solution of the free acid gives a heavy white 

 amorphous precipitate with excess of silver nitrate; with ammonium 

 molybdate a heavy white crystalline precipitate is produced which 

 remains unchanged in the cold for a long time but when heated it 

 soon turns yellowish in color. These reactions are identical with 

 those given by phytic acid; with other metals both acids give appar- 

 ently identical reactions. 



The dilute aqueous solution of the acid coagulates egg albumen 

 at once. This property, however, is not peculiar to the acid from 

 cottonseed meal. Phytic acid was found to produce an identical 

 effect. The tetraphosphoric acid ester of inosite^ and the pyro- 

 phosphoric acid esters of inosite^ mentioned in former papers also 

 gave the same reaction. In view of the fact that the last mentioned 

 substances coagulate egg albumen, it appears probable that this 

 property is common to organically bound phosphoric acids. 



As will be noticed from the foregoing the organic phosphoric acid 

 of cottonseed meal gives all the reactions previously attributed to 

 the presence of pyro- and metaphosphoric acids. But the question 

 whether or not it is also the toxic principle in cottonseed meal remains 

 unanswered. Preliminary experiments carried out with the acid 

 obtained from the purified barium salt on rabbits are not con- 

 clusive. Given in 0.5 and 1 gram doses, both the free acid and its 

 potassium salt produced strong symptoms of distress, but after a 

 few hours the animals regained their normal appearance. Larger 

 doses passed through the bowel in a very short time and no definite 

 symptoms developed. 



It is difficult to determine just what caused the toxicity of the 

 preparations which were used in the experiments described by 

 Crawford.^ It is evident that very impure substances were given. 



» Anderson, Jour. Biol. Chem. 11:484 (1912) and Tech. Bull. No. 19, N. Y. Agr. 

 Exp. Sta. (1912). 

 . * Ibid, 12: 109 and 111 (1912) and Tech. Bull. No. 21, N. Y. Agr. Exp. Sta. (1912). 



^ Loo. cit. 



