754 URINE. 



in the urine after sulfonal intoxication. It was first isolated in a pure 

 crystalline state by HAMMARSTEN l from the urine of insane women after 

 sulfonal intoxication. According to GARROD and SAiLLET 2 traces of 

 hsematoporphyrin (SAILLET'S urospectrin) regularly occur in normal 

 urines. It is also found in the urine during different diseases, although 

 it occurs only in small quantities. It has been found in considerable 

 quantities in the urine after the lengthy use of sulfonal. 



Urine containing hsematoporphyrin is sometimes only slightly colored, 

 while in other cases, as for example, after the use of sulfonal, it is more 

 or less deep red. In these last-mentioned cases the color depends, in 

 greatest part, not upon the hsematoporphyrin, but upon other red or 

 reddish-brown pigments which have not been sufficiently studied. 



In the detection of small- quantities of hsematoporphyrin proceed as 

 suggested by GARROD. Precipitate the urine with a 10-per cent caustic- 

 soda solution (20 cc. for every 100 cc. of urine). The phosphate pre- 

 cipitate containing the pigment is dissolved in alcohol-hydrochloric acid 

 (15-20 cc.) and the solution investigated by the spectroscope. In more 

 exact investigations make the solution alkaline with ammonia, add enough 

 acetic acid to dissolve the phosphate precipitate, shake with chloroform, 

 which takes up the pigment, and test this solution with the spectroscope. 



In the presence of larger quantities of hsematoporphyrin the urine 

 is first precipitated, according to SALKOWSKI, with an alkaline barium- 

 chloride solution (a mixture of equal volumes of barium-hydroxide solu- 

 tion, saturated in the cold, and a 10-per cent barium-chloride solution), 

 or, according to HAMMARSTEN, S with a barium-acetate solution. The 

 washed precipitate, wrjich contains the hsematoporphyrin, is allowed 

 to stand some time at the temperature of the room, with alcohol contain- 

 ing hydrochloric or sulphuric acid, and then filtered. The filtrate shows 

 the characteristic spectrum of hsematoporphyrin in acid solution and gives 

 the spectrum of alkaline hsematoporphyrin after saturation with ammonia. 

 If the alcoholic solution is mixed with chloroform and a large quantity 

 of water added and carefully shaken, sometimes a lower layer of chloro- 

 form is obtained which contains very pure hsematoporphyrin, while the 

 upper layer of alcohol and water contains the other pigments besides 

 some hsematoporphyrin. 



Other methods which have no advantage over this one of GARROD have been 

 suggested by RIVA and ZOJA as well as SAILLET. 4 



BAUMSTARK 5 found in a case of leprosy two characteristic coloring-matters 

 in the urine, " urorubrohaematin " and " urofuscohsematin," which, as their names 

 indicate, seem to stand in close relation to the blood-coloring matters. Uro- 

 rubrohcematin, C 68 H 94 N 8 Fe 2 O2e, contains iron and shows in acid solution an absorp- 



1 Salkowski, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 15; Hammarsten, Skand. Arch. f. Physiol., 3 



2 Garrod, Journ. of Physiol., 13 (contains review of literature) and 17; Saillet, 

 Revue de M6decine, 16. 



3 Salkowski, 1. c.; Hammarsten, 1. c. 



4 Riva and Zoja, Maly's Jahresber., 24; Saillet, 1. c. See also Nebelthau, Zeitschr. 

 f. physiol. Chem., 27. 



5 Pfliiger's Arch., 9. 



