The constituents of senna leaves / by Frank Tutin.

  • Tutin, Frank.
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The constituents of senna leaves / by Frank Tutin. 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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    indistinctly crystalline solid, which was collected, and again crystal- lised from alcohol. This was then crystallised once from ethyl acetate, and distilled under diminished pressure, when it passed over at a high temperature as an almost colourless liquid, which solidified on cooling. The distillate was then crystallised twice from ethyl acetate, with the employment of animal charcoal, when a quantity (about 8 grams) of small, colourless leaflets, melting at 83°, was obtained. (Found, C = 82T; H = 14'5. C30H62O requires C = 82'2; H = 14‘5 per cent.) This substance was therefore myricyl alcohol. Isolation of a Phytosterol, C27H460. The combined alcoholic mother liquors from the crude myricyl alcohol were diluted somewhat with water, and kept for some time, when a quantity of crystalline material, together with much orange- red-coloured oil, was deposited. The solid was collected, when it was found to be a mixture of myricyl alcohol, and a substance which appeared to be a phytosterol. The myricyl alcohol was eliminated by fractional crystallisation from warm ethyl acetate, in which it was more sparingly soluble than the phytosterol. A product was then finally obtained, which, when crystallised from a mixture of ethyl acetate and dilute alcohol, formed large, lustrous plates, melting at 142—143° : 0'2932, on heating at 130°, lost 0'0162 H20. H20 = 5‘5. 0-0986 * gave 0‘2967 C02 and 0'1033 H20. C = 83'6; H = 1T9. C27H4t;0,H20 requires FI20 = 4-5 per cent. C27H4G0 requires C = 83'9; H = 11‘9 per cent. The optical rotation of the phytosterol was determined, with the following result: 0'2770,* made up to 20 c.c. with chloroform, gave aD — in a 2-dcm. tube, whence [a]D —37-8°. This phytosterol yielded an acetyl derivative, which formed pearly leaflets, melting at 128°. The filtrate from the crude phytosterol, which contained the greater part of the unsaponifiable material, was carefully examined, but only orange-coloured, oily products could be obtained from it. Ether, Chloroform, Ethyl Acetate, and Alcohol Extracts of the Resin. The ether extract of the resin was a dark, brownish-green mass, and amounted to 14-4 grams. On examination it was found to contain, in addition to chlorophyll, some fatty matter, myricyl * Dried at 130°.