NATURAL WAXES 800 



This alcoliol has been found as a component of bent grass (Agrostis) Hpids,^^ 

 in brussels sprouts {Brassica oleracea gemmijera) ,^'' in the wax from the 

 blades of barnyard grass (Echinochloa) {Panicum crusgalli) ,^^ in spinach 

 (Spinaeia oleracea), ^^ in the cortex of the juneberry or serviceberry (Amelan- 

 chier ovalis Moench),"'^" in the resinous coating of the South African "bush- 

 man's candle" (Sarcocaulum rigidum Schinz),-' and in apple cuticle wax.^^ 

 Ceryl alcohol has been known also to be a component of such well-known 

 natural products as carnauba wax, beeswax, and wool fat." 



Pollard, Chibnall, and Piper^^ have demonstrated the presence of n- 

 octacosanol in the wax extracted from the wheat leaves; it has also been 

 isolated from apple cuticle wax.-- It is not clear whether or not the satu- 

 rated C28 alcohol C28H57OH, isolated by Ueno and Yamasaki^* from the non- 

 saponifiable fraction of oil from the Koryan corn, or beard grass (also called 

 l)lue-stem) {Andropogon sorghum or Sorghum vulgare), and called "koryanyl 

 alcohol," is identical with n-octacosanol. 



Lucerne leaf wax or alfalfa {Medicago sativa) was shown by Chibnall 

 et al}^ to be a source of n-triacontanol, CH3(CH2)28CH20H, and this appears 

 to be its principal alcohol. This C30 alcohol has been reported as a com- 

 ponent of rice polishings, and is frequently referred to as "melissyl" or 

 "myricyl" alcohol.-^ Other sources of n-triacontanol are apple cuticle 

 wax, 2^ sugar cane wax (Saccharum officinarum), (where it comprises 80% of 

 the non-saponifiable fraction), ^^ beeswax and carnauba wax {Copernicia 

 cerifera),'^^ and from the growing tips of the slash pine {Pinus caribaea).-^ 



Several higher alcohols are present in beeswax (to C34) and lac wax (to 

 Cse). Jermstad^" has reported an alcohol called "sorbol" from the wax- 

 like material in the berries of Sorbus aucuparia (mountain ash or rowan 

 tree) to which he assigns the formula C34H69OH. Takakibyl alcohol is the 



'6 C. E. Bills and G. E. Steel, Proc. Soc. Exptl. Biol. Med., 31, 134-135 (1933). 



" P. N. Sahai and A. C. Chibnall, Biochem. J., 26, 403-412 (1932). 



'8 A. Pollard, A. C. Chibnall, and S. H. Piper, Biochem. ./., 25, 2111-2122 (1931). 



>9 D. I.. Collison and I. Smedley-MacLean, Biochem. J., 25, 606-613 (1931). 

 ■ 2« J. Rabate, Bull. soc. chim. biol., 12, 758-764 (1930). 



^' P. Karrer and K. Schwarz, Vierteljahrsschr. natvrforsch. Ges. Zurich, 77, 78-82 

 (1932). 



22 A. C. Chibnall, S. H. Piper, A. Pollard, J. A. B. Smith, and E. F. Williams, Bio- 

 chem. J., 25, 2095-2110 (1931). 



2» A. Pollard, A. C. Chibnall, and S. H. Piper, Biochem. J., 27, 1889-1893 (1933). 



-■' S. Ueno and R. Yamasaki, ./. Soc. Chem. Ind. Japan, 38, suppl., 113-116 (1935). 



25 A. C. Chibnall, E. F. Williams, A. L. Latner, and S. H. Piper, Biochem. J., 27, 

 1885-1888(1933). 



26 U. Tange, Sci. Papers Inst. Phi/s. Chem. Research Tokyo, I4, No. 275-277 (1930). 

 " N. L. Vidyarthi and M. Narasingarao, J. Indian Chem. Soc, 16, 135-143 (1939). 

 2« T. P. Hilditch, The Chemical Conslilution of the Natural Fats, Wilev, New York, 



1947. 



29 J. A. Hall and O. Gisvold, J. Biol. Chem., 113, 487-496 (1936). 



'» A. Jermstad, Pharm. Acta Helv., 8, 69-70 (1933); Chem. Abst., 27, 3973 (1933). 



