1882.] transformation of alcohol; 203 



was identical in its constitution with methyl hydantoic acid, but 

 was not recognized as such by Schultzen. He concluded from his 

 investigation that the sarcosine attached to itself the carbamic 

 acid resulting from disintegration of the albuminous bodies and 

 which in a normal condition gives rise to the production of urea. 

 With this hypothesis, it appeared very plausible that urea should 

 disappear from urine containing sarcosine. He imagined therefore 

 he had explained the mode in which urea was formed, and had 

 thus solved one of the most important questions in physiological 

 chemistry by the convincing proof of a carefully devised ex- 

 periment." 



" Salkowski found after administering taurine its uramido-acid 

 sauro-carbamic acid in the urine {Berichte, VI. s. 744-)." 



" Later E. Bauman and Hoppe-Seyler (Berichte, Bd. VII. s. 34) 

 succeeded in forming methyl hydantoic acid synthetically under 

 such conditions as might exist in the animal body. Equivalent 

 amounts of sarcosine, potassium cyanate and ammonium sulphate 

 were digested at a temperature of 104° F., the potassium sulphate 

 removed by alcohol, and the baryta salt of the acid referred to 

 obtained." 



"In a similar manner Salkowski (Berichte, vii. s. 11G) at the 

 same time produced this acid, or rather, as it is easily decomposed, 

 its anhydride, methyl hydantoin." 



" So far everything seemed to confirm Schultzen's experiments. 

 But when further experiments were made, essentially different 

 results were obtained. These experiments were undertaken by 

 E. Salkowski on the one hand and Bauman and v. Mering on the 

 other. The results obtained by all completely demonstrate the 

 absence of sarcosine sulphamic acid. As regards methyl hydantoic 

 acid Salkowski (Berichte, viii. s. 115) first stated that in the urine 

 of dogs it appeared only in small quantity after the administration 

 of sarcosine, whereas Bauman and v. Mering in their experiments 

 on the human subject showed that after administering as much 

 as 25 grammes of sarcosine, methyl hydantoic acid was entirely 

 absent from the urine, and that Schultzen in his experiments could 

 not have had this substance to deal with. At the same time they 

 discovered a probable source of error in- his experiments, viz. that 

 in the presence of sarcosine Liebig's test for urea fails. They dis- 

 covered also, as Salkowski also did, that a portion of the sarcosine 

 appeared unchanged in the urine. In later communications Sal- 

 Kowski confirmed the view of Bauman and von Mering that, after 

 the administration of sarcosine there is no appearance whatever of 

 methyl hydantoic acid in the urine." 



"There appeared to be very little left then from Schultzen's 

 experiments. One point only still remained for investigation. 

 As the uramido-acida are so easily converted into their anhydrides, 



1 5 -2 



