18 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



a practically colorless sirup was obtaineil. By scratching with a glasis rod the 

 sirup crystallized to a white solid mass, and when the substance was recrystal- 

 lized from water having an addition of alcohol " it was obtained in beautiful 

 colorless star-shaped aggregates of plates or long prisms. On slowly concen- 

 trating its aqueous solution it crystallizes in large colorless prisms with pointed 

 ends, being often arranged in star-shaped bundles. It is, however, so soluble 

 in water that it is more expedient to crystallize it from water with addition of 

 alcohol. 



"The substance was free from bases, also free from nitrogen and sulphiu-, 

 but it contained phosphorus in organic combination. Analysis showed that it 

 was inosit monophosphate, CoIIiaO.P, or CoH8(OH)r,O.PO(OH),. On cleavage 

 either wnth dilute sulphuric acid at 120° or higher or with 10 per cent ammonia 

 at 150° in a sealed tube it decomposes into inosit and phosphoric acid. Inosit 

 monophosphate has not been known previously, so far as we are aware, and we 

 believe that this is the first time that it has been isohited." A compound like 

 inos't monophosphate is known to exist in nature (see abstract of Clarke, p. 16). 



" It appears probable that in certain plants the organic phosphoric acids may 

 be present not only as phytic acid or inosit hexaphosphate, CiHisOwPo. but 

 also as lower pho.sphoric acid esters of inosit. From w^heat bran, for instance, 

 we have been imable to isolate any inosit hexaphosphate. The insoluble barium 

 salts of the organic phosphorus compound obtained from this material are 

 evidently mixtures of various organic phosphoric acids, either lower inosit 

 phosphates or phosphoric acid esters of other carbohydrates." 



Thus far it has not been possible to separate any homogeneous substance 

 from this mixture. "The isolation of inosit monophosphate only succeeded 

 because its properties are so different from those of the other organic phos- 

 phoric acids which exist in wheat bran — for instance, its easily soluble barium 

 salt permitted its separation from the other acids whicli give insoluble barium 

 salts." 



No data were obtained on the quantitative i^ercentage of inosit monophosphate 

 in wheat bran. The author wishes to reserve the study of the physiological 

 properties of this substance in connection with the general investigation to be 

 carried out at the station. 



Carotin, the principal natural yellow pigment of milk fat, I— IV, L. S. 

 Palmer and C. H. Eckles {Missouri Sta. Research Bills. 9 (1914), pp. 313- 

 336; 10 (1914), pp. 339-387, figs. 5; 11 {1914), PP- 391-411; 12 {1914), pp. 415- 

 450). — The investigations reported were conducted in cooperation with the 

 Dairy Division of this Department, and were primarily to study the chemical 

 nature of the yellow milk fat pigments and to classify each from a scientific 

 standpoint. "At the same time information was gathered with the hope 

 of ascertaining to what extent the generally accepted views concerning the 

 color of milk fat are correct in order to establish a scientific basis for the 

 subject which would be of value to those interested in the handling of dairy 

 products in a commercial way." 



Bulletin 9, as Part I, gives a review of the literature concerning the yellow 

 plant and animal pigments, to which a bibliography of 66 titles is appended. 

 Bulletin 10, as Part II, discusses the chemical and physiological relations of 

 pigments of milk fat to the carotin and xanthophylls of green plants ; Bulletin 

 11, as Part III, the pigments of the body fat, corpus luteum, and skin secretions 

 of the cow; and Bulletin 12, as Part IV, (a) the yellow pigment of blood 

 serum, (b) carotin and xanthophylls during digestion, and (c) the pigments 

 of human milk fat. 



