ALCOHOLS IN PLANTS 



Mention also should be made of the occurrence of this 

 alcohol, together with lactic acid and acetone* in some cases, 

 in the higher plants especially during anaerobic respiration. 

 Stoklasa,f for instance, found that this substance together 

 with acetic and formic acids was produced during anaerobic 

 respiration of potatoes and seeds. Indeed, many consider 

 that alcoholic fermentation is the first expression of respiration, 

 and whether alcohol is formed or not depends upon the 

 conditions; thus under normal conditions in the presence of 

 oxygen the first products are oxidized before the alcohol stage 

 in the process is reached, or the alcohol may be used up in 

 anabolic processes as soon as it is formed, or it may be oxidized 

 to water and carbon dioxide the normal end products of 

 aerobic respiration.! 



Amy I Alcohol has been identified in the essential oils of 

 geranium, eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint and chamomile. 



Several unsaturated alcohols, such as citronellol C 10 H 20 O, 

 geraniol and linalool, both of the formula C 10 H 18 O, occur in 

 essential oils, such as rose oil and oil of bergamot, while 

 amongst the alcohols belonging to the aromatic series must be 

 mentioned cinnamic alcohol, benzyl alcohol, menthol, borneol, 

 etc. Other monohydric alcohols, with the exception of phy- 

 tosterol (see p. 18), are of comparatively rare occurrence. 



Examples of polyhydric alcohols occurring in plants are 

 mannitol, sorbitol, and dulcitol, isomeric substances of the 

 formula 



CH 2 OH CHOH CHOH CHOH CHOH CH 2 OH 



Mannitol occurs to the extent of about 40-50 per cent in 

 manna, the dried sap of Fraxinus Ornus, and also in celery, 

 Syringa vulgaris, asparagus, cauliflower, carrot, pulse, etc. 

 Sorbitol occurs in the berries of the mountain ash, Pyrus 

 Aucuparia. Dulcitol occurs in the cortex of Euonymus europaeci 

 and in the bark of Euonymus atropurpurea. 



Adonitol& C 5 H 12 O 5 or 



CH 2 OH CHOH CHOH CHOH CH 2 OH, 



* Palladin and Kostytschew : " Ber. deut. hot. Gesells.," 1906, 24, 273. 



fStoklasa : id., 1904, 22, 358 ; " Centr. f. Bakter. u. Parasit.," 1905, II, 31, 

 86. Godlewski and Polzeniusz : " Bull. Acad. Sci., Cracow," 1901, 227 ; Sto- 

 'klasa, Jelinek and Vitek : " Beitr. z. chem. Phys. u. Path.," 1903, 3, 460. 



% See Kostytschew : " Ber. deut. hot. Gesells.," 1908, 26, 565. 



Merk ; " Chem. Zentr.," 1893, 344. 



25* 



