Abstract
Dibenzoylthiamine (DBT) in methanol, when it is dissolved in 10mg% or 100mg% concentration and boiled for hours, is slowly decomposed into methyl benzoate (I), O-benzoyl-thiamine (II) and free thiamine to an extent of nearly 50% the complete methanolysis after 2 hour's boiling : (I) and (II) were detected in the solution by means of paper partition chromatography. (I) was distilled in vacuum from the reaction mixture and it was identified as benzoic acid after its saponification. Methanolysis of DBT is specific because other solvents such as ethanol, propanol, isobutanol and propylene glycol are incapable of similar alcoholysis of DBT. Ethylene glycol, however, can similarly decompose DBT, when the solution is kept at 65℃.
