HYDROCARBON CAROTENOIDS OF THE C40 SERIES 521 



majority of the green algae, as well as in a large proportion of the following 

 groups: Euglenophyceae (green fresh-water algae), brown algae, diatoms, 

 dinoflagellates, yellow-green algae, red algae, and blue-green algae. Heil- 

 bron et al.^-' also reported the presence of /S-carotene in the red marine alga 

 {Rliodomenia palmata). a-Carotene is occasionally found in the higher 

 plants and in the green algae, but it is not present in the other species. A 

 green salt-water alga {Ulva spp.) has been found to contain both a- and 

 jS-carotene.^^ The a- and /3-carotenes isolated from the leaves were shown 

 by Strain^^ to be identical with those previously prepared from carrot root 

 and palm oil. 



In the case of flowers and fruits, |3-carotene is the most widely distrib- 

 uted carotenoid, although a number of other members of this group are 

 frequently present. For example, the petals of the California poppy 

 (EschschoUzia caUfornica Chamisso) also contain cc-carotene, a carotenoid 

 less strongly adsorbed than /3-carotene, and two types more strongly ad- 

 sorbed than the /S-isomer.^^ Zechmeister and Polgar^^ were able to isolate 

 as much as 150 mg. of cr^'stalline /3-carotene per kilogram of dried silk-oak 

 flowers {Grevillea robusta Cunningham), while about 20% of the pigment 

 was a complicated xanthophyll mixture. Carotenoids were absent from 

 the red flowers of the Zauschneria caUfornica Presl. (California fire-chalice) ; 

 however, /3-carotene was present in the leaves of the same species.^^ Fur- 

 thermore, i8-carotene has been isolated from the bush monkeyflower 

 {Mimidus longiflorus Grant, Scrophulariaceae), although the presence of 

 7-carotene in large amounts was of more interest in this case.^^ Drumm 

 and O'Connor found that jS-carotene is an important pigment in the yellow 

 iris (7m pseudocorus).^^ j8-Carotene has likewise been found in a still 

 wider variety of flowers such as the CaJendida officinalis (pot -marigold), ^^ 

 Ulex europaeus (furze) and Ulex galli (Planchon's furze), ^^^ Genista iriden- 

 tata (woadwaxen),^"^ Gazania rigens (red-brown treasure-flower gaz- 

 ania),^"^'^"' Caltha palustris (marsh marigold), ^"^^ Ranuncidns arvensis (crow- 

 foot or com buttercup), ^°^ and R. acris (buttercup),^"* Tragopogon praten- 

 sis (subspecies one'/ito/Zs) (goat's beard, salsify) , ^°'*' ^''^ Cytisus (Sarothamnus) 

 scoparius (Scotch broom), ^'^^ Trollius europaeus (globe-flower), Laburnum 



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 '« L. Zechmeister and A. Polgdr, /. Biol. Chem., 140, 1-3 (1941). » 



" L. Zechmeister and W. A. Schroeder, Arch. Biochem., 1, 231-238 (19-12-1943). 

 88 P. J. Drumm and W. F. O'Connor, Biochem. J., 39, 211-212 (1945). 

 99 L. Zechmeister and L. v. Cholnokv, Z. physiol. Chem., 208, 26-32 (1932). 

 100 K. Schon, Biochem. J., SO, 1960-1965 (1936). 

 >»i K. Schon and B. Mesquita, Biochem. ./., 30, 1966-1969 (1936). 

 '02 K. Schon, Biochem. J., 32, 1566-1570 (1938). 



1" L. Zechmei.ster and W. A. Schroeder, J. Am. Chem. Soc, 6.5, 1535-1540 (1943). 

 >«^ P. Karrer and A. Xotthafft, Heir. Chim. Acta, 15, 1195-1204 (1932). 

 '05 P. Karrer, E. Jucker, J. Rutschmann, and K. SteinUn, Helv. Chim. AcUt, 28, 1146- 

 1156 (1945). 



106 P. Karrer and E. Jucker, Heh. Chim. Acta, 27, 1585-1588 (1944). 



