A DEGRADATION PRODUCT OF CEPHALOSPORIN C 277 of the synthetic compound (in KBr) was almost identical with that of cephalosporidine from cephalosporin C between 1900 and 950 cm.-L; it differed from the latter, however, in showing bands at 3350, 2620, 2030, 925, 885, 855, 770 and 702 cm.-'.When subjected to electrophoresis on paper at pH 2-3, 4 5, 7.0 and 8-9, and chromatographed on paper in butan-l-ol-acetic acid-water (4:1:4, by vol.) or in butan-l-ol-pyridine-acetic acid-water (15:10:3:12, by vol.), the two compounds were indistinguishable.Both were ninhydrin-negative but were revealed as dark-blue spots on the papers by the chlorination procedure of Rydon & Smith (1952).SUMMARY 1.When cephalosporin C (sodium salt or free acid) is heated in aqueous solution it yields a degradation product (C8H,oN202) which contains one carboxyl group and one basic nitrogen atom and gives no colour reaction with ninhydrin.This product has been given the trivial name 'cephalosporidine'.It also appears to be formed from penicillin N. 2. The properties of cephalosporidine, including its stability to hot acid and alkali, its ultravioletabsorption spectrum, and its oxidative degradation to ox-aminoadipic acid and 8-(oc-aminoadipoyl)glycine, indicate that its structure consists of a fused imidazole-piperidine-2-carboxylic acid ring system.3. It is suggested that 8-(oc-aminoadipoyl)aminoacetaldehyde is an intermediate in the forma- tion of cephalosporidine from cephalosporin C and from penicillin N.4. DL-3-(oc-Amminoadipoyl)aminoacetaldehyde di- ethylacetal has been synthesized.On heating in dilute acetic acid it yields DL-cephalosporidine.We are grateful to Professor J.
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BISHOP et al. (1963) studied this question.