The fate of indolethylamine in the organism / by A.J. Ewins and P.P. Laidlaw.

  • Ewins, Arthur James.
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The fate of indolethylamine in the organism / by A.J. Ewins and P.P. Laidlaw. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    extracted with boiling water, in which most of it dissolved, excess of picric acid was added and the whole boiled with a small quantity of charcoal for five minutes. On filtration and prolonged standing the filtrate gradually deposited a deep orange-red coloured picrate. This picrate was recrystallised from water or water with a trace of acetone several times, when it separated in large, orange-red, rhomboidal plates melting at 145°. The crystals gave the colour reaction with great intensity. It appeared to us to be very probable that this acid would prove to be an indoleacetic-glycine complex, comparable with hippuric and phenaceturic acids, but for some time we were unable to obtain sufficient material to prove or disprove our assumption. The yield of picrate of the acid is not good and, as we have pointed out, the feeding experiments are limited to the administration of small quantities. In one experiment for example, from 0*5 grm. of the hydrochloride of the base we only obtained 0*2 grm. of the picrate or a little over 20°/o of the theoretical maximum yield. In some other experiments the yield was rather better but never more than 30°/0. From a series of three experiments we obtained sufficient of the picrate which, although not quite pure, could be analysed: 0*0986 grams picrate gave 0*1668 C02 and 0*0322 H20 C = 46*1 H = 3*6 C12H1203N2. C6H307N3 requires C = 46*8, H = 3*2 per cent. The figures obtained although not accurate were sufficiently so to indicate that the acidic chromogen was an indoleacetic-acid-glycine condensation product, and that the substance in question has the probable constitution denoted by the formula C • CH, • CO • NH * CH, * COOH. II CH For this acid we suggest the name indoleaceturic acid, in conformity with the nomenclature of this class of bodies to which hippuric and phenaceturic acids belong. It may also be mentioned that quite recently Ackermann [1912] has shown that among the products of metabolism of nicotinic acid fed to a dog is found a similar glycine derivative, to which he gives the name nicotinuric acid. Our supposition with regard to the constitution of the urinary chromogen was further confirmed by hydrolysis of the picrate with sodium carbonate.