6 HANDBOOK FOR BIO-CHEMICAL LABORATORY. 



Inosit,, C 6 H 12 6 . 



preparation. 1. Make a watery extract of 2 Ibs. chopped 

 meat, remove the albuminous bodies by coagulating at boil- 

 ing heat. This is filtered and the filtrate precipitated by 

 sugar of lead, and again filtered and washed. This filtrate is 

 boiled with basic lead acetate and allowed to stand 24-48 

 hours. The precipitate thus obtained, which contains all the 

 inosit, is decomposed in water by H 2 S. The filtrate is strongly 

 concentrated, treated with 2-4 vols. hot alcohol, and the 

 liquid removed as soon as possible from the tough and flaky 

 masses which ordinarily separate. If no crystals separate 

 from the liquid within 24 hours, then treat with ether until 

 the liquid has a milky appearance and allow it to stand. In 

 the presence of a sufficient quantity of ether, crystals of inosit 

 separate within 24 hours. The crystals thus obtained, as also 

 those which are obtained from the alcoholic solution directly, 

 are recrystallized by redissolviug them in very little water 

 and the addition of 3-4 vols. alcohol. 



2. Inosit may also be prepared from green beans by evap- 

 orating the watery extract to a syrupy consistency and pre- 

 cipitating with alcohol. The precipitate is dissolved in water 

 and the inosit allowed to crystallize out. (Void.} 



Properties. Inosit crystallizes in large, colorless, rhombic 

 crystals of the monoclinic system, or, if not pure and if only 

 a small quantity crystallizes, it forms fine crystals similar to 

 cauliflower. The crystals melt at 217 0. It dissolves in 6 

 parts water at the ordinary temperature, and the solution has 

 a sweetish taste. It is insoluble in strong alcohol and in 

 ether. Inosit does not ferment with beer yeast, but is cap- 

 able of lactic-acid fermentation. It dissolves copper oxhy- 

 drate in alkaline solutions, but does not reduce on boiling. 

 It gives negative results with MOORE'S or BOETGER-ALMEN'S 

 bismuth test. Its solutions have no action on polarized light. 

 Inosit gives no combination with phenyl-hydrazin acetate. 



