ign] 



Jacoh Rosenhloom and William J. Gies 



55 



of the resins which are closely related to the terpenes and may be pro- 

 duced from terpenes by oxidation; (c) by a hydrid of retene, 



CH 



^\C.H 



C3H, 



/ 



/CH=CH. 

 ,Z \CeH,; 



and {d) by cholic acid, whose main radical is combined with radicals 

 of glycocol (amino-acetic acid) or other substances in the so-called 

 ' bile acids,' among them gjycocholic acid, 



CssHggOa— CO— NH— CH, 



-COOH. 



The empirical formula for cholic acid is C24H40O5 ; that for cholesterol 

 is C27H44O. 



" The conspicuous presence of both cholesterol and cholic acid Com- 

 pounds in bile, as well as the close resemblance between their empirical 

 formulas and their behavior in the reaction mentioned above, suggests, 

 though by no means proves, that cholesterol is the ' mother substance ' 

 of cholic acid and an important factor in ' bile production.' " 



There is still considerable iincertainty regarding the empirical 

 formula for cholesterol. That the formula C27H46O is more nearly 

 correct than C27H44O, as given above, seems probable from the 

 results of recent researches. The following formulas are now the 

 preferred ones for cholesterol, cholic acid, and choleic acid : 



/CH 



% 



CnH,g\ 



/>CH,. 



/ 



CHOH 



CH=CHj 

 CH,— CH,— CH 



Cholesterol 

 (An alcohol) 



^--jo^sa 



/CH, 



\ 



CH, 



,CHOH 



//CH,OH 

 CH,OH 

 COOH 



C24H40O5 



Cholic acid 

 (An alcohol-acid) 



,CH, 



//CHjOH 



r H '•'^ 



^CH,OH 



COOH 

 C24H40O4 



Choleic acid 

 j(An alcohol-acid) 



Constitutional formulas for glycocholic acid and taurocholic acid 

 may be written, on the basis of the above graphic formula for cholic 

 acid, as follows : 



CHOH ,CHOH 



//CHjOH 

 C H / 



V^CHjOH 



Cj^rlg, 



//CH,OH 



CH,OH 



CO— NH— CH,— COOH 



C,eH,jOeN 

 Glycocholic acid 



CO— NH— CH,— CH,— SO,— OH 

 C„H,,0,NS 



Taurocholic acid 



