Chemical and physiological examination of the fruit of Chailletia toxicaria, Don / by Frederick B. Power and Frank Tutin.

  • Power, Frederick B. (Frederick Belding), 1853-1927
Date:
[1906]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Chemical and physiological examination of the fruit of Chailletia toxicaria, Don / by Frederick B. Power and Frank Tutin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    which of them represented or contained the poisonous principle. For this purpose some physiological experiments were conducted for us, writh essentially the following results. I. The Resin. — The three extracts obtained from this by successive treatment with different solvents, as previously de¬ scribed, were separately tested. In each case 0.5 gram of the extract was administered to a small dog. (а) Chloroform Extract.—This, after some hours, produced narcosis, and ultimately death, but did not cause the delirium and epileptiform convulsions which are such characteristic features of the poisonous action of Chailletia fruit. (б) Ethyl Acetate Extract.—This produced the characteristic convulsions, thus differing in its action from the preceding ex¬ tract. (c) Alcohol Extract.—This caused nausea, but no toxic symptoms. II. The Aqueous Liquid.—This liquid, from which the above- mentioned resinous substances had been separated, and which had been further purified by means of basic lead acetate, was found to be highly toxic. When concentrated to a syrupy con¬ sistency it amounted to about 200 grams. Of this syrup 0.5 gram was administered to a dog, wdien after an interval of three hours the characteristic convulsions occurred, wThich were followed by death within fifteen minutes. The decomposed lead acetate compound was also toxic, and when given in the same amount as the syrup produced a similar effect, although somewhat more slowly. This result, however, wras probably due to the occlusion of some of the aqueous liquid with the lead acetate precipitate, as the latter did not permit of being very thoroughly washed. The preceding physiological experiments having shown that the syrupy aqueous liquid possessed in a high degree the poisonous properties of the Chailletia fruit, and as nothing crystalline separated from it, even after standing for several weeks, an at¬ tempt was made to isolate the toxic principle by further treatment. The syrup was accordingly mixed with prepared sawdust, the mixture thoroughly dried in a vacuum over sulphuric acid, then brought into a Soxhlet apparatus, and extracted for two days with dry ethyl acetate. This removed a quantity of substance which was only sparingly soluble in the ethyl acetate, for it separated from the hot liquid as a brownish syrup. The liquid