2) The absorption spectra of pliylloporphyrin and haeniatopor- 

 phyrin are very much alike, alnaost identical, no matter whether 

 examined in neutral, basic or acid solvents. The same holds good 

 of the spectra of the corresponding zinc Compounds '-). 3) To- 

 wards bromine and nitric acid phylloporphyrin and haematoporphy- 

 rin behave very much alike ä). 4) A base of the formula C.5H13N, 

 which mav be converted into urobiline by oxidation, can be ob- 

 tained from haemin or haematoporphvrin and also from phyllocya- 

 nin. by treating thèse bodies witli solutions of hydroiodic acid in 

 présence of phosphonium iodide*). 



The présent paper is devoted to the oxidation products of 

 phylloporphyrin. These experiments were commenced as early as 

 three years ago, but the amount of the quite pure oxidation pro- 

 duct necessary for a combustion has been obtained only in the 

 course of last sumnier. The oxidation of the blood culouring mat- 

 ter has been the object of very important studies l)y William Küs- 

 ter 8). The most important resuit of those researches being the dis- 

 covery, that haemin may be converted by the action of bichromie 

 acid into a body CgH^NO^, which undergoes a change uuder the 

 influence of alkalies or acids becoming converted into a new Com- 

 pound of the formula CgH^Os. These substances stand in very 

 simple relationship to each other, namely the Compound last named 

 may be considered as an anhydride of the threebasic acid and the 

 first as the corresponding imide. thus: 



/COOH /CO\q /CO\^jj 



\COOH \COOH \COOH 



The imide undergoes under certain conditions a further change, 

 it looses Carbon dioxide and yields a new body of the formula 

 C7H9NO2. which according to Küster might be identical with the 

 imide of methyl-ethyl-maleic acid: 



') 1. c. 



') Marchlewski a. C. A. Schuack. Journal Cbem. Society 77, 1080. 

 *) Marchlewski a. Nencki. Bnll. intern, de l'Académie de.s 8eience.s de Cra- 

 covie 1901. 



') Ann. Chem. und l'hariu. S 17, 174 



