260 European Intelligence. [Jukte, 



VI. — European Intelligence. 



Results obtained from the Seed of the Mango. 



The mango tree, Mangifera Indica, L. has been transported from the East 

 Indies to St. Domingo, and the other neighbouring islands, where it is now 

 exceedingly abundant. In consequence of which, its products may now find useful 

 applications; to forward which purpose, M. Arequin has devoted his attention 

 to the analysis of the seed. The fruit is a fine mass of pulp, very agreeable in the 

 estimation of some, and the seed or grain lies in the middle, having the form of 

 a kidney, and inclosed in a parchment-like integument. 



The mango pulp contains much crystallizable sugar, and also citric acid and gum. 



The mango seed is remarkable for the large quantity of gallic acid present, and 

 for the presence also of stearic acid, and for the useful state of its starch. When 

 a seed is cut with a knife, it gives a deep blue color to the latter ; when touched 

 with persulphate of iron, it acquires a fine blue color, both effects due to gallic acid 

 present. 



Five pounds and a half of the seeds being worked upon, by various digestions 

 in water, alcohol, &c. and subsequent evaporations, gave about eight ounces and 

 a half of crystallized gallic acid. 



When the pulp of the seeds had been exhausted by water, it was acted upon 

 by alcohol, and a substance obtained by evaporation from the alcoholic solutions 

 which crystallized, and had the following properties ; it was perfectly white ; 

 was insipid and inodorous: if fused at 70° C. (158° Farht.), on cooling, it crys- 

 tallized in mingling long acicular forms ; it is insoluble in water ; it reddens moist- 

 ened litmus paper; its solution in weak alcohol reddens infusion of litmus; it 

 is quite soluble in oils and fatty bodies ; it unites to salifiable bases, forming 

 well characterized salts (soaps) ; when made into a taper, it burns like wax, with 

 a fine white flame. This substance has all the physical and chemical charac- 

 ters of stearic acid, which therefore exists, ready formed, in the vegetable king- 

 dom. Its quantity was rather more than two ounces. 



When the pulp, thus far exhausted, was treated with aether, a fatty matter was 

 obtained from it ; fusing at 30° C. (86° Farht.) ; soluble in hot aether to any 

 extent; insoluble in rectified alcohol; liquifying in the mouth like cocoa butter ; 

 when formed into a candle, burning like tallow ; having the consistence of tallow, 

 and being of the same nature as the butter of cocoa. The powdered grain treated 

 with water yields a small portion of this butter in a very pure and fresh state. 

 The quantity obtained from the original quantity of seed was one ounce and a half. 



After all these operations, the starch was separated by washing in water ; its 

 quantity amounted to 32£ oz. or rather more than half the weight of the dried 

 seeds. When the recent seeds were worked with for starch, 1 lb. always yielded 

 about 6 oz. of starch, and by drying lost about 6 oz. of water. 



Besides these substances the following were also obtained ; lignine, about 5 oz. 

 gum, 1\ oz. ; tannin, 200 grs. nearly ; brown resin, 200 grs. ; green resin, 144 grs. 

 and a little vegetable albumen. 



M. Arequin then describes processes for obtaining gallic acid from the mango 

 seed, either with or without the use of alcohol, and for the preparation of ink 

 with this substance instead of galls. If obtained in abundance, the seeds may be 

 very useful for these and analogous purposes.— Journalde Pharmacie, 1831, p. 421. 



