The constituents of the leaves of prunus serotina / by Frederick B. Power and Charles W. Moore.
- Frederick Belding Power
- Date:
- [1910?]
Licence: In copyright
Credit: The constituents of the leaves of prunus serotina / by Frederick B. Power and Charles W. Moore. Source: Wellcome Collection.
13/18 page 1109
![mixing the two substances, the melting point of the mixture was found to be considerably lower than that of either of the con¬ stituents. Inasmuch as the glucoside obtained from the leaves of Primus serotina does not agree in its properties with any of the previously-described glucosides of quercetin, it must be regarded as a new compound. It is therefore proposed to designate it serotrin, with reference to the specific name of the plant. Serotrin, C21H20O12,3H2O, is sparingly soluble in cold, and fairly readily soluble in boiling water or alcohol. It dissolves in alkalis with a dark yellow colour, and in aqueous solution it gives with lead acetate an orange-red precipitate. 0cta-acetylserotrin, C21H12012(C0*CH3)8.—Two grams of serotrin were boiled for two hours with 25 grams of acetic anhydride. The solution so obtained was poured into water, and, after some time, the whole was extracted with ether. The ethereal liquid was washed with dilute aqueous sodium hydroxide, and then with water, after which it was dried and the solvent removed. The residue so obtained was crystallised, first from a mixture of alcohol and acetic acid, and finally from ether, when octa-acetylserotrin separated in colourless needles, melting at 150°: 0*1434 gave 0*2910 C02 and 0*0630 H20. C = 55*3; H = 4*8. C21H]2012(C0*CH3)8 requires C = 55*5; H = 4*5 per cent. Octa-acetylserotrin is sparingly soluble in ether or cold alcohol, but readily soluble in acetic acid. A determination of its specific rotatory power gave the following result: 0*2005, made up to 20 c.c. with chloroform, gave aD —1°32/ in a 2-dcm. tube, whence [a]D —76*4°. The glucoside serotrin appears to be accompanied in the leaves of Prunus serotina by a closely related substance containing a methoxyl group, but the amount of this constituent was too small to permit of its isolation. Identification of YMandelonitrile Glucoside. The original alcoholic filtrate from the crude serotrin was mixed with water and subjected to a vigorous distillation in a current of steam until all the amyl and ethyl alcohols had been removed. The aqueous liquid so obtained was cooled, filtered, and treated with a solution of basic lead acetate. This produced a voluminous yellow precipitate, which was removed by filtration and carefully examined, but nothing definite could be isolated from it. The filtrate from the basic lead acetate precipitate, after the addition of a little sodium acetate, was treated with hydrogen sulphide for the removal of the excess of lead, and the filtered liquid concentrated under diminished pressure to dryness. A small](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30616839_0013.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
