102 Organic Phosphorus Compounds of Wheat-Bran [March, 



molecule than ours; and, since the molecule contains six atoms of 

 phosphorus, the formation of the metaphosphoric acid residue 

 would account for the discrepancy, if our substance is identical 

 with his. In the case of the barium salt, the explanation is less 

 evident, for, of course, barium phosphate or metaphosphate would 

 be formed, together with some barium carbonate and metaphos- 

 phoric acid, ahhough a reaction between the latter two substances 

 might take place, liberating both the hydrogen and carbon. 



In each of our combustions, we burned the material a second 

 time: in the case of the free acid and the brucine salt to be de- 

 scribed, with well dried, powdered lead Chromate; in the case of 

 the barium salts, with a mixture of lead Chromate and potassium 

 dichromate. There was always an increase in weight in both the 

 potash bulbs and the calcium chloride tube after the second burn- 

 ing. It is probable, therefore, that our Compounds from wheat- 

 bran are identical with those obtained by Anderson from various 

 other sources. 



We believe, however, that in addition to the phytic acid deriv- 

 ative in our extracts of wheat-bran, there were at least two other 

 organic-phosphorus Compounds, which we have been prevented 

 from investigating completely by lack of time. It was one of 

 these substances which Anderson'^ investigated, and found to yield 

 an acid, to which he ascribed the formula, C20H65O49P9, combined 

 with the elements of a pentose. In regard to this substance, we 

 wish to point out that his analytical results show rather wide de- 

 partures from the calculated formula, and that none of the barium 

 salts were obtained crystalline ; hence may not have been pure. It 

 is also noteworthy that the analytic data for the crystalline brucine 

 salt [to which he ascribed the formula CooH55049P9- (C23H26O4- 

 ^2)10]» accorded better (except in the case of carbon which is low) 

 with brucine phosphate, (C23H2604N2)3- (H3P04)2 than with his 

 calculated formula. Anderson^ himself has shown that ph5rtic 

 acid is broken down into phosphoric acid and other substances by 

 drying at 100° C, and even to some extent by drying at ordinary 

 temperatures. The new acid prepared by him from wheat-bran 



' Anderson : Jour. Biol. Chem., 1912, xii, p. 450. 

 8 Anderson : Ibid., 1914, xvii, p. 171. 



