The constituents of the fruit of Ecballium elaterium / by Frederick B. Power and Charles W. Moore.

  • Frederick Belding Power
Date:
[1909]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: The constituents of the fruit of Ecballium elaterium / by Frederick B. Power and Charles W. Moore. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    5/12 (page 1987)
    Petroleum Extract of the Green Resin. This extract was a dark green, viscid liquid, and amounted to 38 grams. It was dissolved in ether, the ethereal liquid being shaken successively with solutions of sodium carbonate and sodium hydroxide, but nothing was thus removed. The ether was then evaporated, and the residue hydrolysed by heating with an alcoholic solution of potassium hydroxide, after which the alcohol was removed, water added, and the alkaline solution of potassium salts extracted with ether. The ethereal liquid was washed, dried, and the solvent removed, when a small quantity of a light bi’own, crystalline product was obtained. This was dissolved in about 150 c.c. of hot absolute alcohol, and the solution kept for some time, when a nearly colourless sub- stance separated. The latter was collected, washed with cold alcohol, and then distilled under 15 mm. pressure. The distillate, which rapidly solidified, was crystallised from ethyl acetate, when small, colourless, glistening leaflets, melting at 68°, were obtained. This substance was a hydrocarbon, and appeared to be hentriacontane, but the amount was too small for analysis. Isolation of a Phytosterol, CgyH^gO. The alcoholic solution from which the hydrocarbon had been removed by filtration, as above described, was concentrated to a small volume and diluted with water, when a quantity of crystalline sub- stance separated. This was collected on a filter, and washed with a little ethyl acetate, after which it was distilled under diminished pressure. The distillate, which solidified on cooling, was crystallised from a mixture of ethyl acetate and dilute alcohol, when it formed colourless, glistening leaflets melting at 148°. The amount of substance so obtained was 0‘7 gram : 0-2806, heated at 115°, lost 0-0134 H^O. H20 = 4-8. 0-1342 of anhydrous substance gave 0-4125 COg and 0-1430 HgO. C = 83-8; H=ll-8. Cg^H^gOjHgO requires H20 = 4-5 per cent. CgyH^gO requires C = 83-9; H = ll-9 per cent. The substance thus agrees in composition with a phytosterol, and it yielded the colour reactions of this class of compounds. A determina- tion of its specific rotatory power gave the following result: 0-2055, made up to 20 c.c. with chloroform, gave + 0°4' in a 2-dcm. tube, whence [a]o 4-3-2°. The acetyl derivative, when crystallised from acetic anhydride, separated in flat, glist^ping needles, melting at 155—157°,