Inositol phosphates in soil: amounts, forms and significance of the phosphorylated inositol stereoisomers.

This chapter addresses specifically the amounts, origins, forms and potential ecological functions of inositol hexakisphosphates in surface soil. Emphasis is given on the phosphorylated stereoisomers, some of which have never been detected in biological tissue. Different factors controlling the amounts of these phosphates are discussed. The occurrence of phosphorylated and free inositol stereoisomers in nature is also discussed. A review on the studies showing the synthesis of inositol phosphates by soil organisms in laboratory conditions, is given.