abstracts: chemistry . 689 



CHEMISTRY. — Chemistry of the cotton plant, with special reference to 

 Upland cotton. Arno Viehoever, Lewis H. Chernoff, and 

 Carl O. Johns. Journ. Agr. Res. 13:345-352. May 13, 1918. 



This paper represents the first part of a chemical and biological 

 investigation of the cotton plant (species of Gassy pium), undertaken 

 with the purpose of isolating and determining the nature and location 

 within the plant of the substance or substances which prove so attractive 

 to the boll weevil. The isolation of an ethereal oil from different parts 

 of the plant is described. Upon investigation the Bureau of Ento- 

 mology found this oil to be decidedly attractive to boll weevils. This 

 volatile oil showed characteristics different from those of an ethereal 

 oil obtained from the rootbark of Gossypium herbaceum. It distills 

 mainly between 200° and 300°C., the lower fractions having a yellow 

 to greenish yellow, the higher fractions a light green to xlark blue color. 

 The plants contained an average of 0.0015 per cent of the ethereal oil, 

 the squaring plants apparently yielding the largest amounts. 



The isolation from Upland cotton of the glucosides quercimeritrin 

 and its isomer isoquercitrin, formerly found in other types of cotton, 

 is also discussed. In the leaves and flowers, with petals removed, 

 quercimeritrin was found, while from the petals both quercimeritrin 

 and isoquercitrin were obtained. The glucoside gossypitrin and its 

 product of hydrolysis gossypetin, both found in other types of cotton, 

 could not be isolated from Upland cotton. The chemical results throw 

 an interesting light on the relationship of different species of cotton.. 



A. V. and C. 0. J.. 



