38 The Philippine Journal of Science mi 



and named gynocardin by them. As the glucoside is accom- 

 panied by an emulsinlike enzyme, gynocardase, in the plant, any 

 delay in working up the seeds or leaves entails a loss in the 

 glucoside content, due to its hydrolysis by the enzyme. In order 

 that this loss might be reduced to a minimum, instructions were 

 given to the Bureau of Forestry rangers to heat the seeds in 

 boiling water for one hour, insuring the destruction of the gyno- 

 cardase, and then to dry them in the sun before delivery to the 

 Bureau of Science. In spite of this precaution, in several cases 

 an odor of hydrocyanic acid was noticeable when the seeds 

 were received, showing that hydrolysis of the glucoside had taken 

 place. These particular samples were not dry. Owing to the 

 lateness of the rainy season and the prevalence of rain, it was 

 impossible for them to be dried properly before shipment and 

 they molded somewhat in transit. Dox ' has shown that molds 

 formulate all the known enzymes, regardless of the character 

 of the substrase; consequently the small amount of glucoside 

 present in some of the seeds received may have been due to the 

 action of enzymes formed in this manner. As stated, both ma- 

 ture and immature seeds were received and examined. The 

 mature seeds in no case gave any large amount of hydrocyanic 

 acid when tested for the presence of gynocardin. The failure 

 of strong positive tests cannot be attributed to the hydrolysis 

 by molds in every case, since of the several samples of mature 

 seeds examined not all were molded. It would appear that the 

 amount of this glucoside decreases as the seeds ripen. A de- 

 crease in the quantity of glucoside would appear plausible if one 

 holds to the theory that its function is to sterilize any injury 

 received by the fruit and thus prevent further injury from the 

 introduction into the wound of molds and bacteria. With the 

 maturity of the fruit the need for this protection would cease 

 to exist. 



Upon receipt, the seeds were immediately shelled, placed in the 

 oven and dried, and then ground. In some cases the oil was 

 removed by extraction in a large syphon-extraction apparatus, by 

 means of petroleum ether ; in others most of the oil was removed 

 by expression as is done in the preparation of amygdalin from 

 almonds ; in some others the original ground seeds were extracted 

 with alcohol, which extracted only a small amount of the oil, but 

 removed the glucoside. By evaporation to dryness and extrac- 

 tion of this residue with ether the oil could all be removed and 

 the black gummy residue treated for the isolation of gynocardin. 



Dox, A. W., Plant World (1912) , 1 5, 40. 



