RECENT WORK IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE. 



AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY— AGROTECHNY. 



Concerning the organic phosphorus compound of wheat bran and the 

 hydrolysis of phytin, R. J. Anderson {New York State Sta. Tech. Bui. 40 

 {1915). pp. SI). — "This bulletin contains reports of investigations concerning 

 (1) the nature and composition of the principal organic phosphoric acid iso- 

 lated from 0.2 per cent hydrochloric acid extract of wheat bran, (2) the 

 products formed from phytiu by the action of the enzym phytase contained in 

 wheat bran, (3) the hydrolysis of the organic phosphorus compound of wheat 

 bran in different solvents, and (4) the nature and composition of the organic 

 phosphorus compound of wheat bran when isolated from solvents which destroy 

 the enzym phytase. 



" It has been shown in previous reports [E. S. R., 28, p. 17] that the organic 

 phosphorus compounds isolated from 0.2 per cent hydrochloric acid extracts 

 of wheat bran differ in composition from phytin and phytic acid or inosit 

 hexaphosphoric acid. It has also been shown [E. S. R., 32, p. 17] that the above 

 substance is not a homogeneous compound but that it can be separated into 

 several fractions which differ in composition. 



" The first part of this bulletin describes the further separation of these com- 

 pounds and the isolation of a new organic phosphoric acid, inosit triphosphoric 

 acid, as a crystalline strychnin salt from the water-insoluble portion of the acid 

 barium salts. The neutral barium inosit triphosphate, CaHoOisPsBaa, was pre- 

 pared from the crystalline strychnin salt. It was a white amorphous powder. 

 The free inosit triphosphoric acid, CeHisOisPs, was prepared from the barium 

 salt, and it was obtained as a noncrystallizable sirup. The reactions of inosit 

 triphosphoric acid differ in several pai'ticulars from those of phytic acid or inosit 

 hexaphosphoric acid, but like the latter it decomposes, when heated in a sealed 

 tube with dilute sulphuric acid, into inosit and phosphoric acid. 



" The chief products of the hydrolysis of phytin by the phytase in wheat bran 

 are inorganic phosphoric acid and certain intermediate compounds apparently 

 consisting of inosit tri-, di-, and monophosphoric acids. These intermediate 

 substances are identical with the compounds which we have previously isolated 

 from 0.2 per cent hydrochloric acid extracts of wheat bran. A portion of the 

 phytin was completely hydrolyzed by the action of the enzym into phosphoric 

 acid and inosit because the solution was found to contain some free inosit. All 

 of the phytin was partially hydrolyzed since the final reaction mixture did not 

 contain any unchanged inosit hexaphosphoric acid. 



" The results herein reported amplify and confirm the experiments of Suzuki. 

 Yoshimura, and Takaishi [E. S. R., 19, p. 966], and of Plimmer [E. S. R., 29, 

 p. 166], concerning the presence of the enzym 'phytase' in wheat bran which 

 is capable of hydrolyzing phytin with the production of inorganic phosphoric 

 acid. The maximum activity of the enzym has been shown to occur in the 

 presence of 0.1 per cent hydrochloric acid and 0.2 per cent acetic acid. With 

 increasing concentration of the hydrochloric acid the activity rapidly diminishes, 



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