II. CHEMISTRY 



405 



CH, 



CHi 



-NH, 



-NO 2 



+ 



VI 



-0 



OH OH 



HO— CH— C— C— C— CH2O C (C eHj) , 

 H H H 



vn 



'\/ 



-o 



OH OH 



XH— CH— C— C— C— CH2O C (CsHs) 8 

 H H H 

 —NO 2 



3Ht 



vm 



CH; 



CHi 



./\ 



-0 



OH OH 



V 



— NH— CH— C— C— C— CH20C(C6Hb)3 



H H H 

 — NH2 



CiH60CH=NHHCl 



HCl 



V + 



CH; 



CH; 



/\/N^. 



V^N^ 



\H 



— 



OH OH 



— C— C— C— C— CH2OH 

 H H H 



IX 



A detailed study has been made of the interrelationship of the three 

 fluorescent substances, components a, /3, and 7, which were previously men- 

 tioned.^^- ^^ With the 7 component synonymous with 5,6-dimethylbenzimi- 

 dazole and the /3 component synonymous with l-a:-D-ribofuranosido-5,6- 

 dimethylbenzimidazole, the nature of the oc component remained in ques- 

 tion. By analogy with other natural products, it was expected that a-riba- 

 zole is linked to phosphoric acid. It was found that mild hydrolysis of 

 vitamin B12 (6 N hydrochloric acid at room temperature for 5 hours) 

 brought about separation of not less than 0.7 mole of the a component.''' 

 Further hj'drolysis of this component at elevated temperature gave a mix- 

 ture of a component + /3 component + phosphate ion.''*- '^ The a compo- 



" 0. Cooley, B. Ellis, P. Mamalis, V. Petrow, and B. Sturgeon, J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 



2, 579 (1950). 

 3' J. G. Buchanan, A. W. Johnson, J. A. Mills, and A. R. Todd, Chemistry & Industry 



1950,!426;|J. G. Buchanan, A. W. Johnson, J. A. Mills, and A. R. Todd, J. Chem. 



Soc. 1950, 2845. 



