330 
Examination  of  Urin, 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1909. 
stellate  tufts  of  acicular  crystals,  resembling  somewhat  the  groups 
produced  by  dextrose  or  levulose,  but  different  in  the  character  of 
the  individual  crystals,  which  seemed  to  be  more  slender  in  propor- 
tion to  their  length. 
Several  additional  tubes  of  the  crystals  were  prepared  in  a  simi- 
lar manner  and  some  of  the  crystals  were  collected  and  purified  by 
recrystallization.  During  this  purification  it  was  noticed  that  the 
crystals  were  much  more  soluble  in  hot  water  than  is  the  case  with 
ordinary  dextrosazone.  The  purified  crystals  were  found  to  have  a 
melting  point  of  1570  C.  This  corresponds  very  closely  to  the  melt- 
ing point  of  pentosazone,  which  was  found  by  Salkowski  and 
Tastrowitz  to  have  a  melting  point  of  1660  C.  to  1680  C.  when 
pure,  but  from  1560  C.  to  1600  C.  when  obtained  from  urine.  The 
melting  point  of  dextrosazone  (and  levulosazone)  is  204-205 0  C. 
Several  subsequent  experiments  upon  fresh  samples  of  material 
confirmed  the  melting  point  of  the  crystals,  and  the  various  specific 
tests  for  pentose  were  applied.  Tollen's  test,  which  is  carried  out 
by  heating  a  solution  of  phloroglucin  in  hydrochloric  acid  and  adding 
to  the  hot  solution  a  small  quantity  of  the  urine,  continuing  the  heat 
upon  a  water-bath  for  some  time,  gave  positive  results  in  the  shape 
of  a  cherry-red  liquid  which  became  cloudy  upon  cooling. 
As  glycuronic  acid  also  responds  to  this  test,  further  confirmation 
was  obtained  by  applying  the  orcin-hydrochloric  acid  test,  which  is 
carried  out  similarly  to  the  one  previously  described,  using  orcin 
instead  of  phloroglucin.  In  the  presence  of  pentose  a  bluish-green 
color  is  developed,  which  is  dissolved  out  by  shaking  with  amyl 
alcohol.  Positive  results  being  obtained  by  this  test,  thus  negativing 
the  presence  of  glycuronic  acid,  there  seems  to  be  no  further  doubt 
that  there  is  exhibited  in  this  sample  of  urine  a  well-developed  case 
of  pentosuria,  as  precisely  the  same  results  as  above  described  were 
obtained  in  a  specimen  of  urine  from  the  same  individual  examined 
eleven  months  after  the  first  sample  was  reported. 
A  more  comprehensive  examination  of  the  sample  showed  the 
following : 
Specific  gravity    1.028 
Chlorides  as  sodium  chloride  94  per  cent. 
Total  sulphates  as  SO*...  31  percent. 
Mineral  sulphate  as  SO*  30  per  cent. 
Ethereal  sulphate  by  difference  01  per  cent. 
Phosphates  as  P205  30  per  cent. 
Urea    3.00  per  cent. 
