The constituents of chaulmoogra seeds / by Frederick B. Power and Frank H. Gornall.

  • Power, Frederick B. (Frederick Belding), 1853-1927
Date:
[1904]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The constituents of chaulmoogra seeds / by Frederick B. Power and Frank H. Gornall. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Kurzii (King), a plant which is a native of Burmah (Pharm. J., 1900, 64, 522, and 1901, 66, 596). The investigation of chaulmoogra seeds appears hitherto to have been restricted to the fatty oil, obtained from them by expression, and the first chemical examination of the latter is embodied in a paper by Moss (Year-book of Pharmacy, 1879, pp. 523—533). The oil examined by Moss was apparently a commercial product, as he gives no indication of having prepared it himself. He states that it had a melting point of 42° and a specific gravity at that temperature of 0*930. On hydrolysis, it afforded him 81*1 per cent, of fatty acids, which were considered to consist approximately of “gynocardic acid,’’ 11*7; palmitic acid, 63*0; hypogseic acid, 4*0 ; and “ cocinic ” (undecylic) acid, 2*3 per cent., contained in the oil as glyceryl esters, the first two being also present in the free state. The melting point of the mixed acids was 44°. The methods adopted for the separation and identifica tion of the above-mentioned acids were not such, however, as to render the results at all conclusive. The so-called “ gynocardic acid ” is of interest, for the reason that a preparation bearing this name has been an article of commerce for some years, and is employed medicinally. It was stated by Moss to separate from weak alcohol in crystalline plates melting at 29*5°. From the results of two analyses, the formula Ci4H2402 was deduced, although it was clearly indicated that additional data would be required in order to determine the correctness of this supposition. Petit (J’. Pharm. Chim., 1892, 26, 445) has published a method for the preparation of “gynocardic acid,” and under this name he appears to comprehend that portion of the total fatty acids which is soluble in 70 per cent, alcohol at about 15°, and has a melting point of 29°, which is practically that assigned to it by Moss. Schindelmeiser (Per. cleutsch. pharm. Ges., 1904, 14, 164) has published a short paper entitled “ Gynocardia Oil,” in which he appears to have accepted in general the conclusions of Moss respecting its constituents, but without any confirmatory evidence of their correctness, although he gives the melting point of the “ cold-expressed ” oil as 26°. He also retains the name of gynocardic acid for a substance which was pre¬ pared according to Petit’s method (loc. cit.), and, after purification a with ether, melted at 29*5°. It was considered probable that the sub¬ stance thus separated had the formula C21H40O2, although this supposi- ■ tion appears to have been based only on a titration and the analysis of i a silver salt, and it was shown to be unsaturated. He furthermore | assumes, with some reservation, that, besides palmitic, hypogseic, and f “ cocinic ” acids, the crude acids contain a hydroxy-acid, the evidence for the presence of the latter being deduced from a determination of I the acetyl value (207*8) and from the high iodine value (110*8).