580 MUSCLES. 



According to STAKKENSTEIN the free inosite is without importance 

 and is only a decomposition product of metabolism; of importance, 

 especially for young, growing individuals is according to this worker 

 only the phytin, which is decomposed in the intestine by bacteria, and in 

 the tissues by enzymes, and correspondingly supplies phosphoric acid and 

 lime to the organism while the inosite is excreted as a valueless cleavage 

 product. The free inosite in the animal body originates according to 

 STARKENSTEIN from the inositephosphoric acid and in this sense the 

 assumption of RosENBERGER 1 as to the occurrence of an inositogen in the 

 animal body, is substantiated. 



Inosite, which almost without exception is inactive mesoinosite, 

 crystallizes in large, colorless, rhombic crystals of the monoclinic sys- 

 tem, or, if not pure and if only a small quantity crystallizes, it forms 

 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 net 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 paltinum-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) . Other inosite reactions have been suggested by DENIGES 2 

 and others. 3 



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 



1 Meillere, Journ. d. Chim. et Pharm. (6) 28; Starkenstein, Zeitschr. f. exp. Path, 

 u. Therap. 5, Bioch. Zeitschr. 30 and Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem. 58; Rosenberger, 

 ibid., 56, 57 and 58. 



2 Compt. rend. soc. biol., 62. 



3 In regard to the salts of phytin and compounds of inosite see Anderson, Journ. 

 of biol. Chem. 11 and 12. 



