Strui'tural foriuula: 



II, CIIEMISTUY 301 



CH,-CHOH-(JHOH-CHOH-CHjOH 



II. Chemistry' 



THEODOR WAGNER-JAUREGG 



Lactoflaviii is the original name of riboflavin, still used in Europe. Ovo- 

 flavin, hcpatoflavin, uroflavin, etc., are historical names, indicating the 

 origin of the preparations, which are chemically identical with lactoflavin. 

 Riboflavin, the American designation, indicates that the naturally occur- 

 ring flavin is a derivative of (D-)ribose. This name was adopted in 1952 by 

 the International Commission for the Reform of Biochemical Nomencla- 

 ture. 



Riboflavin is identical with vitamin Bo . In former times, in the United 

 States, the term vitamin G was also used for this nutritional factor. 



After vitamin Bi had been obtained in pure form, the isolation of crys- 

 tallized riboflavin was one of the most fascinating chapters in the chemistry 

 of the vitamins. For the sake of its historical interest, the story of the dis- 

 covery of riboflavin will be told here briefly.''' 



In 1927, Paul Gyorgy, at that time at the pediatric clinic of the University of 

 Heidelberg, began investigations on the curative factor for egg white injury, which 

 he called vitamin H."' Beginning in 1931, he and Edgar Lederer, who worked with 

 Richard Kuhn at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, 

 attempted to isolate this vitamin. Vitamin H deficiency in rats is characterized by 

 a dermatitis. Since pellagra is another avitaminosis connected with skin symptoms, 

 it seemed useful and interesting to make a comparative study of the nutrition factor 



' Literature references are given mainly for the last ten j^ears. For earlier and more 

 references, consult textbooks and reviews, for instance: H. R. Rosenberg, Chem- 

 Lstry and Physiology of the Vitamins, pp. 153-194. Interscience Publishers, New 

 York, 1945; R. J. Williams, R. E. Eakin, E. Beerstecher, Jr., and W. Shive, The 

 Biochemistry of B-Vitamins, pp. 669-683. Reinhold Publishing Corp., New York, 

 1950; F. A. Robinson, The Vitamin B Complex, pp. 132-210. John Wiley and Sons, 

 New York, 1951 ; G. A. Emerson and K. Folkers, Ann. Rev. Biochem. 20, 584 (1951) ; 

 H. Vogel and H. Knobloch, Chemie und Technik der Vitamine, 3rd ed., Vol. 2, 

 Issues 1 and 2, pp. 129ff. Ferdinand Enke, Stuttgart, 1953. 



'" See also P. Gyorgy, Nutrition Revs. 12, 97 (1954). 



"< In 1940 P. Gyorgy, V. du Vigneaud, and D. Melville identified this vitamin u-ith 

 the yeast growth-promoting factor biotin, which luid been i.solated some years 

 before by F. Kogl and B. Tonnis. 



