UROCHROME. 741 



alcohol (v. UDRANSZKY *). To these humin bodies developed by the action of 

 acid in normal urine when exposed to the air must be added the urophain of HELLER, 

 the various uromelanins and other bodies described by different investigators 

 (PLOSZ, THUDICHUM, SCHUNCK, DOMBROWSKI 2 ). Indigo blue (uroglaudn of 

 HELLER, urocyanin, cyanurin, and other coloring matters of earlier investigators 3 ) 

 is Split off from the indoxyl-sulphuric acid or indoxyl-glucuronic acid. Red 

 coloring matter may be formed from the conjugated indoxyl and skatoxyl acids, 

 and urohodin (HELLER), urorubin (PLOSZ), urohcematin (HARLEY), and perhaps 

 also urorosein (NENCKI and SIEBER 4 ) probably have such an origin. 



We cannot discuss more in detail the different coloring matters obtained 

 as decomposition products from normal urine. Hsematoporphyrin has 

 already been referred to in a previous chapter (V) and will best be 

 described in connection with the pathological pigments. It only remains 

 to describe urochrome, urobilin, and uroerythrin. 



Urochrome is the name given by GARKOD to the yellow pigment of 

 the urine. THUDICHUM 5 had previously given the same name to a less 

 pure pigment isolated by himself. The accounts as to the composi- 

 tion and properties of urochrome differ so considerably that it is ques- 

 tionable whether anybody has ever had this pigment in a pure form. 

 Urochrome is free from iron, but contains nitrogen. DOMBROWSKI 

 found 11.15 per cent nitrogen, HOHLWEG found 9.89 per cent nitrogen, 

 and KLEMPERER found only 4.2 per cent nitrogen. According to 

 DOMBROWSKI urochrome contains about 5 per cent sulphur, while 

 other investigators like HOHLWEG, SALOMONSEN, and MANCINI found 

 that it was free from sulphur. 6 According to GARROD it stands in 

 close relation to urobilin and is transformed into urobilin by the action 

 of'" active " acetaldehyde, while RivA 7 claims to have obtained a body 

 similar to urochrome by the oxidation of urobilin by permanganate. 

 This relation of the two pigments is denied by DOMBROWSKI. On the 

 contrary it is the unanimous opinion that urochrome under certain con-, 

 ditions may yield the pyrrol reaction. Certain investigators such as 

 BONDZYNSKI and DOMBROWSKI consider urochrome as a member of the 

 oxyproteic acid group (see further on), a view which does not seem to 



1 v. Udrdnszky, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 11, 12, and 13. 



2 P16sz, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 8; Thudichum, Brit. Med. Journ., 201, and 

 Journ. f. prakt. Chem., 104; Schunck, cited from Huppert-Neubauer, 10. Aufl., 509; 

 Dombrowski, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 62. 



3 See Huppert-Neubauer, 161. 



*In regard to this and other red pigments, see Huppert-Neubauer, 593 and 597; 

 Nencki and Sieber, Journ. f. prakt. Chem. (2). 26. 



6 Garrod, Proc. Roy. Soc., 55; Thudichum, 1 c. 



6 Dombrowski, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 54 and 62; Hohlweg, Bioch. Zeitschr., 

 13; Salomonsen. ibid., 13; Mancini, ibid., 13; Klemperer, Berl. klin. Wochenschr., 

 40. 



7 Garrod, Journ. of Physiol., 21 and 29; Riva, cited from Huppert-Neubauer, 524. 



