PURINE BASES 277 



This substance, which is also the mother substance of uric 

 acid, does not occur in nature, but has been synthesized by 

 Fischer. 



By writing the formula somewhat differently, as follows : 

 2 CH N i 



/- \ 



3 N CH6 



NH7 



v/ 



CH 



8 



it will be seen that it is composed of two rings, the upper one, 

 which is six membered, being a so-called pyrimidine ring, 

 while the lower one, which is five membered, is an imidazol or 

 glyoxaline ring, the same as occurs in histidine (see p. 325). 



The relationship between purine, xanthine, theobromine 

 and caffeine is best understood from the following considera- 

 tions. 



Xanthine may be regarded as purine with the addition of 

 two atoms of oxygen attached to the carbon atoms numbered 

 2 and 6 ; and it is accordingly called 2 : 6 dioxypurine, and is 

 given the formula : 



NH CO 



CO C NH 



NH C N 



Xanthine or 2 : 6 dioxypurine 



From this compound theobromine and caffeine are derived 

 by replacing two and three atoms of hydrogen respectively 

 by methyl groups, as may be seen from the following 

 formulae : 



NH CO N(CH 3 ) CO 



N(CH 3 ) CO C N(CH 3 ) 



L, 



\ 



CH 



\ 



CH 



II ^ 



N(CH 3 ) C N N(CH 3 ) C N 



3 : 7 Dimethyl Xanthine or i : 3 : 7 Trimethyl Xanthine 



Theobromine or Caffeine 



Xanthine is widely distributed among plants, notably in 



