290 Mr. W. E. Dunstan and Dr. T. A. Henry. [June 10, 



Quantity Dextrose 



of glucoside Time produced, per 



used. of heating. Dextrose found. cent. 



0-0524 2 hours 0;0699 x 0-5042 gramme 67'3 



0-0524 2 0-0714x0-5042 68-7 



0*0698 2 0-0975x0-5042 70-4 



0-1309 3 0-1676x0-5042 64-6 



The equation 



Ci H ir 6 N + H 2 = C 6 H 12 6 + (CH 3 ) 2 CO + HCN. 



Phaseolunatin. Dextrose. Acetone. Hydrocyanic 



acid. 



requires the production of 72-5 per cent, of dextrose. 



Alkaline Hydrolysis of Phaseolunatin. Phaseolunatinic Acid. 



When the glucoside is heated in aqueous solution with solutions of 

 potassium, sodium or barium hydroxides, it undergoes hydrolysis, with 

 the production of ammonia arid the formation of a new acid glucoside, 

 phaseolunatinic acid. This, like most compounds of the same class, 

 e.g., amygdalinic, lotusinic and dhurrinic acids, is an amorphous gum- 

 like substance, furnishing gum-like salts which are soluble in water, 

 but insoluble in absolute alcohol. The sodium salt may be obtained 

 pure by adding phaseolunatin to a solution of sodium ethoxide in 

 alcohol. The glucoside at first dissolves, but almost immediately 

 afterwards there is formed an amorphous white precipitate of the sodium 

 salt. This retains a pulverulent form so long as it remains in the dry 

 alcohol, but on removal from the liquid by filtration it begins to absorb 

 water and becomes gum-like. The constitution of this acid glucoside 

 was arrived at by an investigation of the products obtained from its 

 hydrolysis by acids. 



About 2 grammes of the original glucoside was heated at 100 C. for 

 two hours with excess of baryta water. On evaporation there remained 

 a varnish-like residue of the barium salt of the acid glucoside. To 

 this excess of dilute sulphuric acid was added, the precipitated barium 

 sulphate removed by filtration and the filtrate boiled for 15 minutes 

 under a reflux condenser. The liquid was cooled, extracted with ether, 

 the ethereal solution dried over calcium chloride and the solvent 

 distilled off, when there remained an oil of an unpleasant rancid odour. 

 This was boiled with water, the aqueous solution after filtration 

 neutralised with baryta water and evaporated to a small volume, when 

 minute colourless glistening plates of a barium salt separated. This 

 on analysis gave the following result : 



0-1569 gramme gave 0-1077 BaS0 4 = 68-73 per cent. BaSO 4 . 



Barium a-hydroxyiwbutyrate, [(CH 3 ) 2 C(OH)COO] 2 Ba, requires 68-01 



per cent. BaS0 4 . 



