Synthesis of Vitamin C by the Infant

Abstract

THE presence of vitamin C in human urine has been recently shown both by tests with the Bezssonoff reagent and dichlorphenol-indophenol¹ and also demonstrated by animal experimentation². We designate as U.H. the unit of violet coloration produced in 1 c.c. of water by 1/1,000 mgm. of hydroquinone, in the presence of the Bezssonoff reagent (MoO₃) (WO₃)₁₇(P₂O₅) (H₂O)₂₄. A solution of pure vitamin C, N/100,000, gives a coloration of 1 U.H. This was verified with samples of ascorbic acid received from Micheel, Szent-Gyorgyi and Reichstein. We have actually tested, by this reagent, the urine of infants of 2–23 months in age, susbmitted during 48 hours to a diet deprived of vitamin C. The following are the results (Fig. 1): The curves indicate the variation of amount of vitamin C in the urine; the age of the infants, in months, is given by Roman numerals.