153 



Chemistry. — ''On the presence of quinine in the seed o f Cinchona 

 Ledyetiana Moens." By P. van Leb:rsum. 



According to the description by Moens ^) the seeds of the genus 

 Cinchona are compressed, flat, with an eh)ngated kernel, which is 

 completely surrounded by a membranous wing, having a toothed 

 edge. The embryo lies in the axis of a fleshy albumen ; the cotyle- 

 dons are entire and egg-shaped. 



The seeds vary in size and shape according to the species. Thus 

 for instance those of 6'. officinalis are 4 — 7 m.m. long and 2 — 4ni.m. 

 broad, those of C. Ledc/eriana measure 47^ m.m. by 1 m.m., those 

 of C. succirubra 7 — 10 m.m. by 2 — 3 m.m. 



A kilogramme of the seed of C. officinalis consists of 1400000 

 seeds, for C. succirubra and C. Ledgeriana the corresponding figures 

 are 9000000 and 3500000. 



With due precautions, Cinchona seeds can be preserved for from 6 to 

 7 months without loss of germinating power. For this they should be 

 perfectly ripe; they should be dried in the wind and completely 

 freed from adherent portions of the capsule and funicle and then 

 placed in an air-tight tin box or in a bottle with ground stopper. 



The batch of seed which has contributed most to directing attention 

 to the Cinchona plantations of Java is that which was bought from 

 George Ledger of London in 1865. G. Ledger had obtained this 

 seed from his brother Chari-es Ledger, who in his turn received it 

 from his servant Manuel Incra Mamani, an Indian native of the 

 Jungas of Bolivia. 



Little is known about the chemistry of Cinchojia seed. According 

 to Moens it would contain no alkaloid, but on the other hand he 

 states that there is fat, to the extent of 6.13 7o i" the seed of 

 C. Ledgeriana, 13.3 "/„ in that of C. officinalis and 9.50 7o in that 

 of C. succirubra. 



In the Annual Report of the Government Cinchona culture for 

 1905 I have already stated that there are alkaloids in the seed, 

 and not only the so called amorphous alkaloid, but also cinchonine. 



In order to investigate how and under what conditions the chief 

 alkaloid i.e. quinine, is formed in Cinchona, it is necessary to know 

 first whether the seed itself contains quinine. 



My previous investigations of the seed had already pointed to 

 this being the case, but there was no certainty. I found that the 



^) De Kinacultuur in Azië. 



