THE HEXON BASES. 73 



/NH 2 NH 2 



(1) C(.NH I + 20 = 



\NH. CH 2 .CH 2 . CH 2 . CH. COOH 



Arginih. 



xNH 2 



(T.NH + CO 2 



\NH. CH 2 .CH 2 .CH 2 .COOH 

 Guanidin-butyric acid. 



/NH 2 



(2) C(.NH +2O = 



\NH.CH 2 .CH 2 .CH 2 .COOH 



Guanidin-butyric acid. 



/NH 2 



C(-NH + COOH.CH 2 .CH 2 COOH 

 \NH 2 Succinic acid. 



Guanidin. 



Of great interest, farther, is the fact that ornithin can give rise 

 to putrescin, viz., to tetramethylene-diamine, a ptomain which is 

 formed during the putrefaction of albuminous material, and which 

 has also been found in the urine in association with cystin. Thus 

 far this transformation has been effected only through the agency of 

 micro-organisms, but there is no reason to suppose that their presence 

 is essential, and that in the tissues of the living body the same proc- 

 ess cannot also occur. This transformation may be represented by 

 the equation : 



CH 2 (NH 2 )/3H 2 .CH 2 .CH.(NH 2 ).COOH = CO 2 + CH 2 (NH 2 ).CH 2 .CH 2 .CH 2 .(NH,) 



Ornithin. Putrescin. 



Should the formula of ornithin, as above indicated, be correct 

 and it may be added that there is every reason to suppose that this 

 is the case we can readily understand how pyridin derivatives can 

 develop from the albumins without being forced to assume the 

 existence of a pyridin radicle in the albuminous molecule directly. 

 The active principle of the suprarenal gland, which von Fiirth . 

 regards as tetraliydro-dioxypyridin, could thus result from ornithin 

 by the replacement of the a-amido-group by hydroxyl and the elim- 

 ination of water. That oxypiperidin results from o-amido-valerianic 

 acid in an analogous manner has indeed been demonstrated. These 

 relations may be expressed by the formulae : 



CH 2 (NH 2 ).CH 2 .CH 2 .CH 2 .COOH = H 2 O + CH 2 (NH).CH 2 .CH 2 .CH 2 .CO. 



S-amido-valerianie acid. oxypiperidin. 



(1) CH. 2 (NH 9 ).CH 2 .CH 2 .CH(NH 2 ).COOH + H 2 O = 



' Ornithin. CH 2 (NH 2 ).CH 2 .CH.,.CHfOH).COOH + NH 3 . 



a-hydroxy, 6 amido-valerianic acid. 



(2) CH 2 (NH 2 ).CH 2 .CH 2 .CH(OH).COOH = 



H 2 + CH,(NH).CH 2 .CH,.CH(OH).CO 

 Tetrahydro-dioxypyridin. 



Lysin. Lysin is apparently a homologue of ornithin, and is 

 represented by the formula 'CH 2 (NH 2 ).CH 2 .CH 2 .CH 2 .CH(XH 2 ). 

 COOH ; it is thus a, e-cliamido-capronic acid. On hydrolytic 



