74 PHARMACEUTICAL BOTANY 



network of linin carrying chromatin granules is formed through the 

 area of the nucleus. A nuclear membrane also is formed and the 

 nucleolus reappears. The spindle fibers disappear. The daughter- 

 nuclei increase in size and each daughter-cell formed by this process 

 now assumes the resting stage. 



NON-PROTOPLASMIC CELL CONTENTS 



i. Sugars. Sugars comprise a group of crystalline substances 

 found in the cell sap of many plants either free or in combination 

 with glucosides. They may be divided into two main groups: 

 monosaccharoses and disaccharoses. To the former belong simple 

 sugars containing two to nine atoms of carbon, which are known 

 respectively as bioses, trioses, tetroses, pentoses, hexoses, etc. Of 

 these the hexoses (CeH^Oe) are the most important and of wide 

 distribution. Examples of the hexoses found in drug plants are: 

 (a) dextrose (grape sugar), found in the leaves, stems, fruits, sprout- 

 ing grains and nectaries of flowers of nearly all plants; (b) fructose 

 (levulose or fruit-sugar), commonly associated with dextrose; (c) 

 d-mannose, found in the saccharine exudation of the Manna Ash 

 (Fraxinus Ornus)\ and (d) sorbinose, found irf ripe Mountain Ash 

 berries. Upon evaporating the sap or treating the parts containing 

 these principles with alcohol they can be crystallized out. 



Fliickiger's Micro-chemic Test for the determination of different 

 kinds of sugars: Dissolve a small portion of copper tartrate in a 

 drop of sodium hydrate on a glass slide ; in this place the section and 

 put on the cover slip. If fructose is present cuprous oxide crystals 

 will at once be formed without warming. If grape sugar is also 

 present a gentle warming will produce another crop of reddish-yellow 

 crystals. If dextrin be present continued heating will still further 

 augment the number of crystals. Cane sugar and mannite, on the 

 other hand, will respond negatively to this test. The zymase of 

 yeasts is capable of fermenting dextrose, levulose and d-mannose 

 forming carbon dioxide and alcohol. Sorbinose is claimed to be 

 non-fermentable. 



The disaccharoses, having the chemical formula of Ci 2 H 22 Oii, in- 

 clude sucrose, maltose, trehalose, melibiose, touranose and agavose. 

 Of these sucrose is the most important. It is found in the stems of 



