I9I2] 'Anton Richard Rose 31 



heated in water to 200° C. under pressure. According tc Giacosa it 

 is more readily hydrolyzed than lecithin. From the fact tbat the 

 products of hydrolysis are inosite and phosphate, Winterstein came 

 to the conclusion that the Compound is inosite-phosphoric acid. 



CONSTITUTION OF INOSITE-PHOSPHORIC ACID 



Posternak, who has done more work on this substance than any 

 other one investigator, did not agree with Winterstein in the con- 

 clusion set forth above. From his analyses he first constructed the 

 following formula: 



HC(OH)OP .(OH) 



(X) I 



HC(OH)0 



P^ (OH) 



but, as benzoyl chlorid gave no positive test for the hydroxyl group, 

 a second formula was proposed (anhydro-oxymethylene-diphos- 

 phoric acid) : 



CH,-0-P(' 

 / ^(OH), 



(«) o: 



\ /^ 



\cHj-o— ?<;■ 



%(0H), 



He was of the opinion that inosite is synthesized from the products 

 of hydrolysis when the "phytin" is heated under pressure with 

 mineral acids. A number of chemists have expressed doubt concern- 

 ing the probability of such a formation of inosite, either from this 

 organic group or any part of it that might result from the action of 

 the acid thereon. In 1907 Suzuki and his co-workers obtained 

 inosite from "phytin" by the action of an enzyme, from which they 

 concluded that inosite is an integral part of the "phytin" molecule 

 and constructed the following formula to represent their view : 



