New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 119 
cipitated with barium chloride. The barium salt was washed until 
free from alkali, suspended in water, and dilute sulphuric acid 
added in sufficient quantity to decompose the salt and throw 
down the barium as a sulphate. After removal of the barium 
sulphate by filtration the filtrate was again precipitated in alka- 
line solution with barium chloride and treated as before. This 
process was repeated a third time and after final removal of the 
barium, copper acetate was added in excess. The copper pre- 
cipitate was filtered at the pump, thoroughly washed with water 
and finally suspended in water and decomposed by hydrogen sul- 
phide. The copper sulphide was removed by filtration and the 
filtrate evaporated on the water bath to a syrupy consistency. 
Analysis of the acid dried at 110° gave the following results: 
0.7207 gm. substance gave 0.2811 gm. CO, and 0.2202 gm. H,O 
equivalent to 10.63 per ct. C and 3.38 per ct. H. 
0.1039 gm. substance gave 0.097 gm. Mg,P,O, equivalent to 25.98 
perce. P. 
Calenlated for 
Found. C2H,P209 
Pw Ly Liye Me. Ost ek sy lew Bad 10.63 10.08 
PE Sees Sebo. iad. . Bebe ved Shit dirs 3.38 3.96 
Peron ee bia dent 47d. hase lsh. 25.98 26.07 
DECOMPOSITION OF COMPOUND INTO INOSITE AND PHOSPHORIC ACID. 
Heated with concentrated mineral acids it is broken up quan- 
titatively into inosite and phosphoric acid, after the following 
equation. ; 
eH b Ono HO = (CH OH), + 6 H,PO,, 
Posternak obtained 97.8 per ct. of the total carbon of the acid 
decomposed as inosite. In our investigation an unweighed por- 
tion of the acid was heated in a closed tube with 50 c. c. of 30 
per ct. sulphuric acid at a temperature of 155°—160° for 5 
hours. After cooling, the tube was opened and the contents 
washed into a beaker. The sulphuric and phosphoric acids were 
removed by barium hydrate and the excess of barium by carbon 
dioxide. The filtrate was evaporated nearly to dryness, taken up 
with hot water and filtered from remaining barium carbonate. 
The filtrate was then treated with absolute alcohol and ether 
until a cloudiness was produced, when it was allowed to stand 
in the cold. A crystalline precipitate soon separated which was 
