552 MUSCLES. 



groups of fine crystals similar to cauliflower. It loses its water of crys- 

 tallization at 110 C., also if exposed to the air for a long time. Such 

 exposed crystals are non-transparent and milk-white. The crystals 

 melt at 225 C. when dry. Inosite dissolves in 7.5 parts of water at 

 ordinary temperature, and the solution has a sweetish taste. It is insoluble 

 in strong alcohol and in ether. It dissolves cupric hydrate in alkaline 

 solutions, but does not reduce on boiling. It gives negative results with 

 MOORE'S test and with BOTTGER-ALMEN'S bismuth test. It does not 

 ferment with beer-yeast, but may undergo lactic- and butyric-acid fer- 

 mentation. With an excess of nitric acid inosite is oxidized to rhodizonic 

 acid, and the following reaction depends upon this. 



If inosite is evaporated to dryness on platinum-foil with nitric acid 

 and the residue treated with ammonia and a drop of calcium chloride 

 solution and carefully re-evaporated to dryness, a beautiful rose-red 

 residue is obtained (SHERER'S inosite test). If we evaporate an inosite 

 solution to incipient dryness and moisten the residue with a little mer- 

 curic nitrate solution, there is obtained a yellowish residue on drying, 

 which becomes a beautiful red on strongly heating. The coloration 

 disappears on cooling, but it reappears on gently warming (GALLOIS' 

 inosite test). New inosite reactions have been suggested by DENiGES. 1 



To prepare inosite from a liquid or from a watery extract of a tissue, 

 the proteins are first removed by coagulation at boiling heat. The filtrate 

 is precipitated by sugar of lead, this filtrate boiled with basic lead acetate 

 and allowed to stand 24-48 hours. The precipitate thus obtained, 

 which contains all the inosite, is decomposed in water by H 2 S. The 

 filtrate is strongly concentrated, treated with 2-4 vols. hot alcohol, and 

 the liquid removed as soon as possible from the tough or flaky masses 

 which ordinarily separate. If no crystals separate from the liquid within 

 twenty-four hours, then treat with ether until the liquid has a milky 

 appearance and allow it to stand. In the presence of a sufficient quantity 

 of ether, crystals of inosite separate within twenty-four hours. The 

 crystals thus obtained, as also those which are obtained from the alcoholic 

 solution directly, are recrystallized by redissolving in very little boiling 

 water and adding 2-4 vols. of alcohol. MEILLERE 2 and others have 

 suggested modifications in the methods for detecting and quantitatively 

 estimating inosite. 



Scyllite is a body which is isomeric with inosite, according to JOH. MULLER, S 

 and which was found long ago in the kidneys, liver and spleen of Plagiostomata. 

 Scyllite crystallizes in shining prisms, is soluble in water 1 : 100 at 180 C., is similar 

 to inosite in its reactions, but has a much higher melting-point, namely about 

 360 C. 



1 Compt. rend. soc. biol., 62. 



2 Compt. rend. soc. biol., 60, and Journ. d. Chim. et Pharm., (6) 24; see also 

 Starkenstein, Zeitschr. f. exp. Path. u. Ther., 5. 



3 Ber. d. d. chem. Gesellsch., 40. 



