INOSITE. 579 



In the analysis of meat, and for the detection and separation of the various 

 extractive bodies of meat, we make use of the systematic method as suggested 

 by GAUTiER, 1 for details of which the reader is referred to the original article 

 as well as for the Kutscher method for working the meat extracts. 



The non-nitrogenous extractive bodies of the muscles are inosite ^ gly- 

 cogen, sugar, and lactic acid. 



Inosite, C 6 Hi206+H20 = C6H6(OH)6+H 2 0. This body, discovered 

 by SCHERER, is not a carbohydrate, but belongs to the hydroaromatic 

 compounds, and is a hexahydroxybenzene (MAQUENNE 2 ). That it 

 stands in certain relation to the carbohydrates follows from the fact that 

 NEUBERG obtained some furfurol from inosite by distillation with phos- 

 phoric anhydride, and also that P. MEYER 3 found fermentation lactic 

 acid in the urine of rabbits after the introduction of inosite per os. It 

 has been known for some time that inosite undergoes lactic acid fermenta- 

 tion. The acid formed thereby is sarcolactic acid according to HILGER 

 and fermentation lactic acid according to VoHL. 4 



Inosite is found in the muscles, liver, spleen, leucocytes, kidneys, 

 suprarenal capsule, lungs, brain, testicles, and in the urine in pathological 

 cases, and as traces in normal urine. It is found very widely dis- 

 tributed in the vegetable kingdom, especially in the unripe fruit of green 

 beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), and therefore it is also called PHASEOMANNITE. 

 In the plant kingdom another substance occurs which is called phytin 

 and which is the Mg and Ca compound of inosite and phosphoric acid 

 and which was first isolated by POSTERNAK. WINTERSTEIN identified this 

 as an inosite-phosphoric acid. This inosite-phosphoric acid can be split 

 into phosphoric acid and inosite by the plant enzyme phytase (SUZUKI, 

 YOSHIMURA and TAKAISHI) as well as by enzymes of the animal tissues 

 (STARKENSTEIN) . Inosite is found in plants, especially in the develop- 

 ing organs (MEILLERE), and according to STARKENSTEIN 5 it occurs to a 

 greater extent in the organs of young animals as compared with those of 

 older animals. From this it follows that inosite is probably not a decom- 

 position product of metabolism, but rather a body necessary for the devel- 

 opment of the cells (MEILLERE); but according to STARKENSTEIN the 

 facts are different. 



1 Maly's Jahresb., 22. 



2 Bull. SOG. chem. (2), 47 and 48; Compt. Rend., 104. 



3 Neuberg, Bioch. Zeitschr., 9; P. Meyer, ibid., 9. 



4 Hilger, Annal. d. Chem. u. Pharm., 160; Vohl, Ber. d. d. Chem. Gesellsch., 9. 



6 Winterstein, Ber. d". d. chem. Gesellsch., 30; and Zeitschr. f. physiol. chem., 58; 

 Posternak, Contribution a l'6tude chim. de I'assimilation chlorophyllienne. Revue 

 generate botanique, Tome 12 (1900), and Compt. Rend., 137; Suzuki, Yoshimura and 

 Takaishi, Bull, agric. Univers. Tokio, 7; Starkenstein, Bioch. Zeitschr., 30. 



