AGmiCULTUTJAL CHEMISTHY A(!KOTEClJ N V. 17 



Organic phosphoric acids of wheat bran, R. J. Anderson (New York State 

 Sta. Tech. Bui. 36 (1914), pp. 3-20). — This work comprises two papers. 



I. Concerning the oryanic phosphoric acid compound of wheat bran, TI (pp. 

 3-16). — In a preliminary report (E. S. R., 28, p. 17) it was emphasized that the 

 organic phosphoric acid isolated from wheat bran is different from that of 

 phj'tic or inosit phosphoric acid which is present in other grains and seeds, and 

 an acid was obtained which approximately agreed with tlie formula C-oHooOioPs. 

 Inasmuch as Rather reported silver salts of an organic phosphoric acid of the for- 

 mula CiiHjiO^Po ( E. S. R., 29, p. 804 ) , the former work has been critically repeated. 

 The work of Rather was also repeated, " following his method of isolating the 

 crude acid as closely as possible. The acid preparation obtained in this way was 

 divided into two parts : One portion was used for the preparation of the silver 

 salt as described by the above author; the other portion was transformed into 

 the barium salt and purified in accordance with our previous method. 



" The barium salts which were obtained in this way were found to agree very 

 closely in composition with those previously reported, viz : C2oH4o049P9Ba6 and 

 not with salts of the acid CiiHuOi-Pg. The silver precipitates which w^ere ob- 

 tained from the crude acid varied in composition according to the method of 

 preparation, but in one case the substance had approximately the composition 

 stated by Rather. A simple examination of these silver precipitates quickly re- 

 vealed the fact, however, that they were not ' pure homogeneous salts ' of an 

 organic phosphoric acid of the formula C12H41O12P8, . . . but that they were largely 

 contaminated w]th inorganic silver phosphate — varying from 42 to 90 per cent." 



The silver precipitates obtained from cotton-seed meal and wheat bran had 

 different physical properties although they may have approximately the same 

 composition. That from wheat bran is sensitive to light and only white at the 

 moment of precipitation, while that from cotton-seed meal is pure white in color 

 and only slightly affected by light. 



In this work it was again " impossible to isolate any salts of phytic acid or 

 inosit hexa phosphate. The amorphous barium salts obtained agreed in composi- 

 tion with those previously reported. It appears probable, however, that these 

 amorphous salts are not homogeneous, but that they are mixtures of salts of 

 various organic phosphoric acids. The isolation of definitely homogeneous com- 

 pounds from this mixture has not succeeded. Attention is called to the rather 

 large content of oxalates in the crude organic phosphoric acid compound and 

 also to the high percentage of inorganic phosphate contained in wheat bran." 



II. Concerning inosit monophosphate, a new organic phosphoric acid occurring 

 in ivheat bran (pp. 16-20). — The work here reported was carried on at the First 

 Chemical Institute of the University of Berlin. 



A previous notice (E. S. R., 28, p. 17) and the above paper indicated that the 

 crude organic phosphorus compound of wheat bran can be separated into two 

 portions by treatment with barium hydroxid. 



"The insoluble precipitate which forms under these conditions contains the 

 barium salts of certain not yet identified organic phosphoric acids and it is free 

 from nitrogen. By evaporating the filtrate from the above insoluble barium 

 salts a substance is obtained which is rich in nitrogen and which also contains 

 phosphorus in organic combination. In the further investigation of this soluble 

 nitrogen-containing substance it was found that its aqueous solution gave an 

 insoluble precipitate with lead acetate. The only other salt which gave any 

 precipitate was copper acetate and then only on warming, when a bluish-white 

 amorphous precipitate was produced which dissolved completely on cooling." 



The precipitate obtained with lead acetate was perfectly white, and when 

 decomposed with hydrogen sulphid and the solution concentrated in a vacuum 



