Investigation was made on the mycological properties of a strain No.45449 isolated from a sample of soil collected in Fukuchiyama. Since the antibiotics produced by the strain resembled hydroxymycin and paromomycin, the strain was compared with the hydroxymycinand paromomycin-producing strains, S. paucisporogenes and S. rimosus forma paromomycinus, and as a result the strain No.45449 was found to be different from the latter two strains. Among known strains, S. flavogriseus resembles the present strain, but they are different morphologically and in the kind of the antibiotics they produce. Thus, as the strain No.45449 was found to be a new strain, it was named S. pulveraceus nov. sp. The antibiotics produced by the present strain are physiologically basic substances active against Gram-positive and negative bacteria and acid fast bacteria, and they are considered to belong to the neomycinkanamycin group.

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Judging from its antibiotic spectrum and chemical properties, antibiotic No.45449-A was found to be an antibiotic belonging to the neomycin group.
This antibiotic was compared with other antibiotics belonging to the neomycin group by the following three methods.
First, comparison of the antibiotic spectrum of No.45449-A with those of neomycin, kanamycin hydroxymycin and paromomycin indicated that the former is different from the latter. Secondly, test for cross resistance using St. pulveraceus and St. fradiae as test microorganism showed that No.45445-A is distinguishable from neomycin and kanamycin. Thirdly, investigation of diffusion assay ratios by the method of Fischer et al. also presumed No.45449-A to be a new antibiotic differing from neomycin and kanamycin.

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In connection with the antibiotic activity of Zygomycin A, investigation was made on the stability and diffusibility of the antibiotic, and influence of inorganic salts and other chemicals on the activity.
Zygomycin A was not affected by heating at 100°(pH 2-9) for 3 hours, and it was more stable in 1_N NaOH than in 1_N HCl.
Zygomycin A was more diffusible than neomycin but less diffusible than kanamycin, and sodium chloride and magnesium chloride enhanced the diffusibility.
Magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, zinc chloride, ferric chloride, nickel sulfate, and cobalt chloride lowered the antibiotic activity of Zygomycin A, and potassium permanganate inactivated the antibiotic completely.
Ascorbic acid and nitric acid also lowered the activity of Zygomycin A but hydrogen peroxide gave no influence. Cysteine, thioglycolate and semicarbazid lowered the activity of Zygomycin A but not so strongly as streptomycin, and ethylenediamine tetraacetate also had similar activity.

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Investigation was made on the cultural conditions for the production of Zygomycin A by St. pulveraceus nov. sp. and on the factor responsible for the formation of Zygomycin B.
A medium consisting of glucose 2%, lactose 1%, soybean flour 2%, peptone 0.5%, Nacl 0.3%, and CaCO₃ 0.5% gave a broth with high potency, and a medium consisting of glucose 2%, lactose 1%, corn steep liquor 0.5%, soybean flour 1%, (NH₄)₂SO₄ 0.2%, MgSO₄·7H₂O 0.05%, NaCl 0.3%, and CaCO₃ 0.5% was suitable for preventing the loss during filtration because it was easy to filtrate.
In the tank culture, the coexistence of iron and soybean oil lowered the potency, but this shortcoming was removed by using silicon oil instead of soybean oil. The most suitable synthetic medium for the production of Zygomycin A was that consisting of starch 4%, glutamic acid monosodium salt 2.15%, K₂HPO₄ 0.024%, MgSO₄·7H₂O 0.04%, CuCl₂·2H₂O 0.0072%, FeCl₃·6H₂O 0.0144%, MnCl₂·4H₂O 0.0011%, ZnCl₂ 0.00036%, NaCl 0.5%, and CaCO₃ 0.5%. The antibiotic spectrum of Zygomycin B resembled that of streptomycin, and formation of the former antibiotic was accelerated by the addition of sodium chloride.

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The effects of several inorganic salts on the combustion of cigarette and the transfer of nicotine into cigarette smoke have been investigated. Ferric, ferrous, ammonium, magnesium salts and chlorides or sulfates depress the combustibility. Contrary to this, potassium, calcium salts, nitrates and carbonates promote it. The combustion-zone temperatures of cigarettes are within the range from 815°C to 857°C, they are not significantly affected by an addition of inorganic salts. Magnesium nitrate, zinc nitrate and potassium phosphate improve the whiteness of cigarette ash, but the other salts rather darken it. Any relations, however, are not recognized between the whiteness of ash and combustibility of cigarettes. The amounts of nicotine transferred into smoke can be reduced by an addition of inorganic salts, among which magnesium is the most effective.

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In order to clarify the structure of ring A of gibberellins, thirteen lactones of cyclohexane series, of which eight were new, were prepared to examine their infrared spectra. So far as the experiment is concerned, γ-lactones show the characteristic absorption band in the range 1775-1782cm^-1 in dioxane, while σ-ones in the range 1730-1762cm^-1. Since the absorption band due to lactone carbonyl of gibberellins occurs at the range 1777-1786cm^-1 in dioxane, the lactone ring of gibberellins seems to be γ.

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In comparison with the ethanolysis, the mercaptolysis of pine wood and pine ethanol lignin has been studied. The delignification was found to be almost complete when wood powder was cooked with the ethanolic hydrogen chloride containing 10% of ethyl mercaptan; while the same cooking without the mercaptan caused only 50% of delignification. Addition of 2% of mercaptan resulted more than 90% of delignification. As already reported briefly, from the mercaptolysis oil of pine ethanol lignin, 2-ethoxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-propanone-(1), a thioether corresponding to Hibbert's α-ethoxypropiovanillone, was isolated.

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Reactivity of several lignin model compounds with ethyl mercaptan in acid media has been studied. Benzyl alcoholic hydroxyl groups and ethers were found to react readily to form thioethers. On the other hand, alcoholic hydroxyl group at β-position of phenylpropane side chain did not react unless α-position was ketonic group. As to carbonyl groups, ketonic groups at α-position of the side chain were found to be very inactive, while that of β-position readily reacted with mercaptan to form mercaptole.

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During the course of an investigation of organophosphorus insecticides, the reactions of trialkyl phosphites with ethyl or phenyl trichloroacetate, diethyl monochloro-or dichloromalonate and ethyl chlorocyanoacetate were attempted. It was cleared that the above reaction did not belong to the Arbuzov reaction but to the Perkow reaction and the products had the phosphorate forms and the carbonyl group of the carboxylic acid linked with phosphorus atom by the enol-form.

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α-Aminoisobutyric acid is the only tertiary amino acid which is reported to occur in the proteins. Nevertheless, this amino acid has not been yet isolated from the proteins. Recently we succeeded in isolating this amino acid as white prismy crystalline substance from both acid and pepsin hydrolysate of horse hind leg muscle proteins, and this crystal was identified to be α-amino-isobutyric acid by elementary analysis, properties of this derivates, etc.

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In the presence of basic catalyst condensation of dehydrolevulinate and cyanoacetamide afforded ethyl 2-methyl-5-cyano-6-pyridone-4-carboxylate [IV]. Starting from [IV], a total synthesis of vitamin B₆ was described.

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β-Tubanol methylether (IIb) was obtained by the Grignard reaction from methyl magnesium iodide and 5-methoxy-coumarin in boiling benzene. The preparation of 2-methyl-4-(2'-hydroxy-6'-methoxyphenyl)-buten-3-ol-2 (VI) and 2, 2-dimethyl-7-methoxy-chromene-3 (IId) were also described.

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Synthesis of β-tubanol (VIa) was achieved by the bromination of dihydro-β-tubanol acetate (VIIb) followed by dehydrobromination and the subsequent hydrolysis. 2, 2-Dimethyl-5-hydroxy-chromanone as well as its derivatives (IV) and the corresponding chromanols (V) and chromans (VII) were also prepared.

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Starting with resorcinol, the total synthesis of dl-deguelin (VI) was accomplished. In the course of this investigation, dihydrodeguelic acid (II), dihydroisodeguelic acid (X), dihydrodehydrodeguelin (III), dehydrodeguelin (IV), dl-deguelol (V) and dihydro-β-rotenonone (XI) were prepared. But the reduction of dihydrodehydrodeguelin (III) to dihydrodeguelin (XII) resulted in failure. The preparation of dihydrodeguelol (XIIIa), its acetate (XIIIb) and dihydro-desoxy-Δ¹¹-dehydrodeguelin (XIV) was also described.

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