CYANOGENETIC 

 SUBSTANCES 



The cyanogenetic substances of higher plants com- 

 prise a relatively small and somewhat heterogeneous 

 group of glycosides of the cell sap. The parent sub- 

 stances liberate cyanide apparently enzymatically 

 when the cells are damaged. 



In recent years cyanogenetic compounds 

 have been rather neglected. Probably the most 

 significant recent advances have been in the elucida- 

 tion of the structures of certain cyanogenetic glyco- 

 sides, which have been known to exist for a number 

 of years. Only a few new cyanogens have been 

 disclosed since Robinson (1930) reported the exist- 

 ence of ten glycosides. The systematic importance 

 of the cyanogenetic compounds cannot be denied 

 since, although their distribution is somewhat 



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