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CLASK, E. P. (34) 
QUASSIN. I. THE PHEPAEATIOIJ AITD PURIFICATION OF 
QiQASSIN AND l.^OQUASSIN WITH INFOEM^.TION CONCEENING ? > 
THEIR MOLECULAR FORMULAS. Jour. Amer. Chem. Soc. 
59:787-789. 1937. 
A method is described for the preparation of "quassin" 
from quassia ( Q;aassia amara L.) chips by extracting with 
hot' water and adsorbing from this solution with active 
charcoal. The substance is removed from the dried carbon 
with chloroform, the chloroform extract evaporated to dry- 
ness under reduced pressure, the residue dissolved in 
methanol, and hot water added. Crystallization of crude 
quassin from the filtered liquid v;as completed in 2 days. 
The crude material consisted principally of two isomers 
which were separated by fractional crystallization from 
methanol. One crystallizes in thin colorless rods and 
micaceous plates, which melt at 205-206OC. It is proposed 
to retain the name quassin for this. The other, which the 
author calls neoquassin, separates as dense, colorless, six- 
sided prisms and quadrilateral plates, melting at 225-2260. 
The molecular formula of these two compounds is C^sHsoOs- 
Their optical properties are discussed. The action of 
concentrated hydrochloric acid on quassin in acetic acid 
yielded quassinol, C2oH2406iin.p. 262°. By acetylation of 
quassinol with acetic anhydride in pyridine, acetyl quassinol, 
C22H25O7, m.p. 232°, vras obtained. The action of acetic 
anhydride and sodiiam acetate upon quassin produced an 
anhydroquassin, 022528^5' ™'P' 1^6°, a dehydro quassin, 
^22^28*-^6» ^'P' 254°, and a third substance, 022^3006' 
melting at 214°, which when mixed with picrasmin, m.p. 
215-216°, gave no depression of the melting point. 
Treatment of quassin with chromic acid yielded a product, ' ' 
^22^3006 » melting at 221^. Treatment of this material 
with acetic and hydrochloric acids gave just twice the 
yield of quassinol that was obtained from quassinol itself. 
CLAUDEL, L. (35) 
SUE LE QUASSIA AFRICANA BAILLON ET SUR LE PANCOVIA 
HECKELI CLAUDEL QUI LUI EST SUBSTITU:^. Ann. Inst. 
Colon. Marseille 3(2). 3d memoire. 49 p. 1895. [Published 
separately 1894.] 
Q^assia africana , a plant indigenous to the east coast 
of Africa, was pointed out for the first time by Baillon, 
but his description was not complete, as he lacked the fruit 
and seed. The present author gives the results of his 
study of the plant, which are presented under the- following 
divisions: 1. Morphology; 2. Histology; 3. Chemical study; 
4. Physiological and therapeutic study. 
