150 



Drs. Dunstan, Henry, and Auld. 



[Apr. 11, 



identity of the two substances, we considered it inadvisable to use the 

 considerable proportion of the whole of our material, which would have been 

 necessary, in making a combustion. The average of the combustion results 

 quoted by Jorissen and Hairs for the flax glucoside agrees closely with those 

 required by the formula assigned in the preceding paper of this series to 

 phaseolunatin, viz. : — 



Found by Jorissen and Hairs for linamarin — 



C = 47-88 per cent. 

 H = 6-68 

 = 39-89 

 N = 5-55 



Required for phaseolunatin (CioHijOeN) — 



C = 48'1 per cent. 

 H = 68 

 - 39-5 

 N - 5-6 



Hydrolytic Products of the Flax Glucoside. 



It has already been pointed out that Jorissen and Hairs observed that the 

 flax glucoside was decomposed by boiling with dilute acids, liberating a 

 reducing sugar, hydrocyanic acid and a volatile ketone. The latter was 

 subsequently identified by Jouck as acetone. For the examination of the 

 volatile hydrolytic products of the flax glucoside we have used a portion of 

 the purified extract from which the glucoside was eventually induced to 

 crystallise. The purified extract was dissolved in water, and a few cubic 

 centimetres of 10-per-cent. hydrochloric acid added ; this liquid was then 

 distilled almost to dryness. The distillate had a strong odour of hydrocyanic 

 acid and gave the Prussian blue reaction copiously. The remainder of the 

 distillate was then rendered alkaline and redistilled, the first few cubic 

 centimetres being collected separately. To this were added a few drops of 

 benzaldehyde and a small quantity of an aqueous solution of potassium 

 hydroxide. On standing, this mixture deposited crystals which on recrystal- 

 lisation melted at 112° C, and proved to be identical with dibenzylidene- 

 acetone (melting point, 112° C). The second volatile hydrolytic product is 

 therefore acetone. The identity of the volatile hydrolytic products of the 

 flax glucoside with those of phaseolunatin affords a further proof that the 

 cyanogen etic glucoside of flax is phaseolunatin. 



There seems to be no reason therefore why the name linamarin applied 



