Chemical examination of Euphorbia pilulifera / by Frederick B. Power and Henry Browning, jun.
- Frederick Belding Power
- Date:
- [1913]
Licence: In copyright
Credit: Chemical examination of Euphorbia pilulifera / by Frederick B. Power and Henry Browning, jun. 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.
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![IO known members of the series by its higher melting-point, and by being apparently devoid of optical activity, but, as its acetyl derivative showed a slight rotation, this apparent in- activity was probably due to its very sparing solubility, which also precluded a determination of its molecular weight. Aceti/leu phosterol, C„5H,nO-CO'CHv — This compound (m.p. 295-297°), the preparation of which has already been described, was dried at 125° and analysed. 0 0730 gave 0-2172 COo and 0 0716 H.>0. C = 811 : H-109. 0 0645 „ 0-1924 C02 „ 0 0640 H.,0. 0-81-3; H = 110. C27H420 requires C = 81-4; H = 10-6 per cent. A -determination of its optical activity gave the following result :— 0-3239, made up to 20 C.c. with chloroform, gave av> + 0-16' in a 2-dcm. tube, whence [b-]r> 4-8-2° Bromoacetyleuphosterol.-—A small amount (0T gTamme) of acetyleuphosterol was brominated in the cold in chloroform solution, and the product crystallised from a mixture of ethyl acetate and alcohol, when it separated in small needles, melting at 183-186°. In the course of separating the above-described acetyl- euphosterol from the original acetylated product by fractional crystallisation, several indefinite fractions of lower melting point were obtained. Two of these, dried at 120°, were analysed. M.p. 205-210°. 0-1023 gave 0 3077 C0.2 and 0-1050 HaO. C = 82-0; H = 11-4 per cent. M.p. 230-260°. 0 0895 gave 0 2769 COo and 0-0933 H20. C = 84-4; H = 11 6 per cent. It thus appears probable that euphosterol was accompanied in the original acetylated product by some other alcohols of the same series. The alkaline, aqueous mixture resulting from the hydrolysis of the petroleum extract, and which had been extracted with ether for the removal of unsaponifiable material, as above described, -was next acidified and again extracted with ether. During this operation an emulsion was formed, which was separated and washed with ether, these washings being added to the main portion of the ethereal liquid. After this treatment there was obtained from the emulsion a small amount of solid material, which was mixed with purified sawdust and extracted successively iu a Soxhlet apparatus with ethyl acetate and absolute alcohol. The ethyl acetate removed a small amount of substance, from which about 0'35 gramme of melissic acid was obtained. (Pound, C = 79'7 ; TI = 13 3. Calc., C = 79‘7 : H = 13’3 per cent.). Isolation of a Phytostebolin (Phytostebol Glucoside). After extracting the above-mentioned material with ethyl acetate, it yielded to absolute alcohol a small amount of sub-](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22439237_0014.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
