46 
PHARMACEUTICAL BOTANY 
sugars containing two to nine atoms of carbon, which are known 
respectively as bioses, trioses, tetroses, pentoses, hexoses, etc. Of 
these the hexoses (C 6 Hi20 6 ) 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 in 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 C12H22O11 in- 
clude sucrose, maltose, trehalose, melibiose, touranose and agavose. 
Of these sucrose is the most important. It is found in the stems of 
sugar cane, sorghum, corn and Mexican grass; in many fleshy roots 
notably the sugar beet; in the sap of the sugar maple and various 
palms including Cocos nucifera, Phoenix sylvestris, Arenga saccharif- 
era; in various fruits as apples, cherries, figs, etc., in the nectaries 
of certain flowers ; in honey ; and in a number of seeds. It crystallizes 
in monoclinic prisms or pyramids. When sections of plant parts 
containing cane sugar are placed for a few seconds in a saturated 
solution of copper sulphate, then quickly rinsed in water, trans- 
ferred to a solution of 1 part of KOH in 1 part of water, and heated 
to boiling, the cells containing the sugar take on a sky-blue color. 
Inverlase of the yeast reduces cane sugar to dextrose and levulose 
