3-Deoxy-2-octulosonic acid 5-phosphate: a component of the endotoxin of Bordetella pertussis.

Upon hydrolysis with 2 N hydrochloric acid for 2 h, a 3-deoxy-octulosonic acid 5-phosphate was released from the endotoxin of Bordetella pertussis. The structure of the compound was established through chemical degradation. By periodate treatment of the intact endotoxin it was shown that positions 7 and 8 of the bound octulosonic acid phosphate were free, which, if present in a cyclic form, must be a pyranoside.