296 BACTERIAL POISONS. 



in small white scales which dissolve but slightly in cold 

 water and in alcohol ; more readily in hot water, in dilute 

 acids and alkalies. Heated to 260 if becomes yellow but 

 does not melt. 



Benzoyl-adenine, C 5 H 4 N 5 .CO.C 6 H 5 , is obtained by the 

 action of benzoic anhydride, but not of ben/oyl chloride, 

 on adenine. It crystallizes from water in long, lustrous, 

 thin needles which sometimes are grouped in bundles, and 

 melt at 234-235. It is easily soluble in hot alcohol, from 

 which it recrystallizes on cooling ; also in dilute acids and 

 in ammonia. With ammoniacal silver nitrate it gives a 

 precipitate resembling that of adenine, but is more readily 

 soluble in ammonia. This compound is quite stable, since 

 it decomposes very slowly on boiling with hydrochloric 

 acid ; on protracted boiling with water it is changed into 

 adenine and benzoic acid. 



Benzyl-adenine, C 5 H 4 N 5 .CH 2 .C 6 H 5 , was obtained by 

 THOISS by heating well-dried adenine with benzyl chloride 

 to boiling (178) on an oil-bath. The compound forms 

 pure white microscopic crystals and melts at 259. It is 

 easily soluble in hot water and in hot alcohol. With acids 

 it forms salts from which alkalies throw down the base. 

 The hydrochloride forms fine glossy needles which are 

 readily soluble in alcohol and in water, but not in ether. 

 The sulphate and nitrate possess similar properties. Like 

 adenine it yields a silver compound which is insoluble in 

 ammonia. On reduction with zinc and hydrochloric acid 

 it forms an amorphous red unstable compound. Treated 

 with nitrous acid, benzyl-adenine is reduced to benzyl-hypo- 

 xanthine, thus showing that the benzyl group replaces a 

 hydrogen atom in the group C 5 H 4 N 4 , which KOSSEL has 

 called adenyl (see page 307). 



Benzyl-adenine picrate, C 12 H n N 5 .C 6 H 2 (NO 2 ) 3 OH, is ob- 

 tained as fine felted yellow needles, which are fairly soluble 

 in water and in alcohol ; insoluble in ether. 



A methyl-adenine was obtained by THOISS in an impure 

 state by heating dried adenine with methyl iodide in a sealed 

 tube at 100. It can be crystallized from absolute alcohol. 

 The aqueous solution of the base is precipitated by baryta 



