i62 CAROTENOID HYDROCARBONS OF KNOWN CONSTITUTION X 



Source 

 Citrullus vulgaris Schrad. 



Crocus sativus 

 Cuscuta subinclusa and 

 Cuscuta salina 

 Gazania rigens 



Gonocaryum pyriforme 



Mimulus longiflorus 

 Mycobacterium phlei 



Nitella syncarpa (Thuill.) 



Palm oil 



Prunus armeniaca 

 Pyracantha coccinia 



Red Sponge ( Hymeniacedon 

 Sanguineum) 



Rhodotorula Sanniei 



Rosa rubiginosa L. 

 Rosa rugosa Thumb. 



Rubus Chamaemorus L. 



References 

 L. Zechmeister and A. PolgAr, /. biol. Chem. ijg 

 (1941) 193. 

 R. KuHN and A. Winterstein, Ber. 6y (1934) 344. 



G. Mackinney, /. biol. Chem. ii2 (1935) 421. 

 K. Sch5n, Biochem. J. 32 (1938) 1566. — L. Zech- 

 meister and W. A. Schroeder, /. Am. Chem. Soc. 65 

 (1943) 1535. 



A. Winterstein, Z. physiol. Chem. 215 (1933) 51; 

 219 (1933) 249. 



W. A. Schroeder, /. Am. Chem. Soc. 64 (1942) 2510. 

 E. Chargaff, Chem. Centr. 1934, I, 1662. — Y. 

 Takeda and T. Ohta, Z. physiol. Chem. 263 (1940) 233. 

 P. Karrer, W. Fatzer, M. Favarger and E. Jucker, 

 Helv. chim. Acta 26 (1943) 2121. 



R. F. Hunter and A. D. Scott, Biochem. J. 35 

 (1941) 31. 



H. Brockmann, Z. physiol. Chem. 216 (1933) 45. 

 P. Karrer and J. Rutschmann, Helv. chim. Acta 28 

 (1945) 1528. 



P. J. Drumm and W. O'Connor, Nature (London) 145 



(1940) 425. 



C. Fromageot and J. Leon Tchang, Chem. Centr. 



1930, I, 1580; Arch. Mikrobiol. 9 (1938) 424. 



R. Kuhn and C. Grundmann, Ber. 67 (1934) 342. 



H. WiLLSTAEDT, Chem. Centr. 1935, II, 707; Svensk 



Kern. Tidskr. 47 (1935) 112. 



H. WiLLSTAEDT, Chem. Centr. 1937, I, 2620. 



Preparation 



According to Kuhn and Brockmann^'* crude carotene is used for the preparation 

 of y-carotene. The crude carotene is crystallised three times from a mixture of 

 benzene and methanol, the pigment being extracted with pure boiling methanol 

 after each crystallisation. 300 Mg of pigment purified in this way are dissolved in 

 300 ml of benzene, the solution is diluted with 900 ml of petroleum ether and poured 

 on a column of alumina (17x5 cm). The chromatogram is washed with a benzene- 

 petrol mixture (1:4) until the uppermost zone containing y-carotene is separated 

 from the next lower zone by a colourless strip. After elution of the pigment with 

 methanolic petroleum ether, the methanol is removed by washing and the carmine- 

 red solution is dried and the solvent distilled off. The residue is repeatedly extracted 

 with boiling pure methanol and recrystallised several times from a mixture of 

 benzene and methanol (2:1). The yield of analytically pure material is about 1 %, 

 based on carotene. 



Winterstein^^" prepared y-carotene from Gonocaryum pyriforme. 300 Fruit 

 skins yield 3 mg of pigment. 

 References p. 165-170. 



