I9I2] Anton Richard Rose 37 



carry in memory more names of organic Compounds than they can 

 reasonably be expected to define in terms of chemical formulae, if 

 the common names do not in themselves off er suggestions of chem- 

 ical structure. Unsystematic naming is contrary to the modern 

 spirit of chemical nomenclature. Winterstein's " inosite-phosphoric 

 acid" has priority over Posternak's "phytin" and the further ad- 

 vantage of being a chemically descriptive term. The preference 

 of several authors for this latter designation is evidenced by the 

 fact that the name phytin is not adhered to or is given in parenthesis 

 after the name " inosite-phosphoric acid." In this particular case 

 the probability of confusion is very miich increased by the fact that 

 the term " phytine " is already applied to Chlorophyll preparations 

 whose chemical composition we cannot hope to know for some time 

 and for convenience must perforce carry a non-chemically descrip- 

 tive appellation. The word " phytin " seems to have all the Psycho- 

 logie requirements of a really good trade name and the substance 

 which it designates in the market is widely advertised in the Euro- 

 pean medical Journals for its therapeutic properties, which are more 

 than likely of questionable character, and the term will undoubtedly 

 persist. 



It can be readily conceived that this may not be the only inosite- 

 phosphoric acid in plants and we should look for other combinations 

 in which the phosphorus may be in the ortho or pyro form — even 

 the meta phosphate — and be present as the hexa, tetra, di, or mono 

 phosphoric acid. Various incidents have suggested to the writer 

 that some of these forms occur in preparations from seeds when 

 certain treatment other than those described above is used. 



ANALYTICAL METHODS^ 



The quantitative estimation of phytin phosphorus has been 

 effected only by determining the difference between the total soluble 

 phosphorus and the inorganic phosphorus. Phytin research in 

 animal and plant metabolism is therefore very largely dependent 

 upon the accuracy of the determination of inorganic phosphorus. 



" The analytical methods are here treated very briefly, for their development 

 is as yet imperfect and the literature conflicting. Many papers have not been 

 mentioned and the reader is referred for these to the bibliography on page 

 46. A more complete Statement with experimental data will be published later. 



