56 FATS, OILS, AND WAXES 



Water-soluble phosphatides obtained from beetroot, soja 

 bean and from Aspergillus oryzce have been described by 

 Hansteen-Cranner and Grafe and his co-workers.* 



B. CEREBROSIDES OR GALACTOLIPINS. 



The name cerebrosides was originally applied by Thudichum 

 to a group of substances isolated by him from the brain of 

 animals. They are characterized by being phosphorus free 

 but yielding on hydrolysis a nitrogen base, a saturated fatty 

 acid, and galactose ; for this reason they are better known as 

 galactolipins. 



Substances of this type of vegetable origin were first 

 isolated from Lycoperdon hovista by Bamberger and Land- 

 siedl t and later from Hyphaloma fasciculare and Amanita 

 muscaria by Zellner,$ while Trier § obtained a small quantity 

 of a cerebroside from rice. 



Unlike the phospholipins, the galactolipins are, when dry, 

 white powders tending to crystallize. They differ also from 

 the former substances in being insoluble in ether ; they are, 

 however, soluble in hot alcohol, benzene, and pyridine, but, 

 like the phosphatides, they are insoluble in cold acetone. 



OCCURRENCE. 



Lecithin-like compounds occur in the grains of cereals, in 

 the seeds of several Leguminosae, Ricinus, and species of Pinus ; 

 in the leaves of Castanea, and in Fungi ; they are also widely 

 distributed in animals. In fact, these substances are stated to 

 occur in small quantities in all living cells, and they appear to 

 be more especially abundant where fats occur. Zlataroff con- 

 siders that light is requisite for the formation of lecithins since 

 he finds that the amount present in seeds increases during 

 germination in the light. I| 



* Grafe: "Biochem. Zeit.," 1925. I59> 445: 1925. 162, 366; 1926, 176, 

 266, 177, 16 ; 1927, 187, 102. 



t Bamberger and Landsiedl : " Monat. f. Chem.," 1905, 26, 1109. 



+ Zellner : id., 191 1, 32. i33. io57- 



§ Trier : " Zeit. physiol. Chem.," 1913, 86, 413. 



!| Zlataroff : " Biochem. Zeit.," 1916, 75, 200. 



