1268 



HYPOXANTHINE. 



5. Hypoxanthine. C 5 H 4 N 4 0. 

 NH — CH 



CH C — NH 



N — C = N 



\ 

 / 



CO. 



Closely related to xanthine and usually occurring with it 

 in the tissues and fluids of the body. Hypoxanthine may be 

 obtained from normal muscles, and hence is found in larger 

 amounts in 'extracts of meat.' It occurs also in the spleen, 

 liver, and medulla of bones, and in considerable quantity in the 

 blood and urine of leukhaemic patients ; also in normal urine 

 and in vegetable tissues — lupins, malt-seedlings and tea. 



It may be separated from xanthine by taking advantage of 

 the slighter solubility of its salt with nitrate of silver in boil- 

 ing nitric acid (sp. gr. 1*1). The crystalline form of this salt 

 is characteristic. 



Fig. 220. Hypoxanthine Silver-nitrate, C5H4N4O . AgNOg. (Krukenberg 



after Ktihiie.) 



It also yields crystalline salts with nitric and hydrochloric 

 acids. 



Fig. 221. Hypoxanthine-nitrate, C5H4N4O .HNO3. (Kuhne.) 



Hypoxanthine is soluble in 300 parts of cold and 78 of 

 boiling water, insoluble in cold alcohol and in ether, soluble 

 in 900 parts of boiling alcohol. It does not yield either 



