The fate of certain organic acids and amides in the rabbit; nitrobenzoic acids and amides.

Studies in vitro (Bray, James, Ryman & Thorpe, 1948a) have shown that rabbit-liver extracts are able to hydrolyze all three nitrobenzamides. The para isomer is most readily attacked, the average hydrolysis being 82 %; under the same conditions the meta and ortho isomers are hydrolyzed to the extent of 31 and 23 %, respectively. It was, therefore, of interest to study the metabolism of these compounds in vivo, comparing them with the corresponding nitrobenzoic acids. The literature contains little information concerning themetabolism ofthese acids in the rabbit, though there are some acc ounts of investigations upon other animals. As early as 1851 Bertagnini found that m-nitrobenzoic acid was excreted as the corresponding hippuric acid by the dog. Quick (1932) included the three nitrobenzoic acids in an extensive study of the glycine and glucuronic acid conjugation ofnuclear substituted benzoic acids in the dog and found that the meta and para isomers, but, not the ortho, were conjugated with glycine to a considerable extent and that all three were excreted to some extent as ester glucuronides. Nitrobenzaldehydes and nitrotoluenes are oxidized to the corresponding nitrobenzoic acids in