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INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS. 
These resalts indicate that the genuine oil consists almost wholly of 
triglycerides of lauric, chaulmoogric, and linolic acids, whilst the donbtfal oil 
is a mixture of tri- and diglycerides. 
On neutralising the oil with alcoholic potash and adding a dilute solution 
of calcium, magnesium, or zinc chloride, the corresponding metallic salt of 
“ gynocardic acid ” is precipitated. Calcium and magnesium “ gynocardates " 
are white crystalline substances slightly soluble in boiling water and most 
soluble in boiling alcohol, whilst zinc “ gynocardate ” is white and 
crystalline, insoluble in water and only very sparingly soluble in 
boiling alcohol. 10 drops of the genuine oil stirred with 1 drop of 
sulphuric acid gave a yellow coloration, changing rapidly to reddish-brown 
and finally to dirty brown, whilst the doubtful oil gave similar colour 
changes, but the final coloration was olive-green, this reaction being also 
given by the ' fatty acids from both oils and by chaulmoogra fat. — 
J. Oh. I. Nov. 15, 1915. 
But in the American Journal of Pharmacy, for 1915 (pp. 
493 — 500), Mr. Frederick B. Power severely criticises the above 
paper. 
He emphasizes the statement that chaulmoogra ( Taraktogenog ) oil and 
gynocardia oil are totally unlike, both in their physical characters and 
chem. compn. Along with data establishing the authenticity of his oils, 
Mr. Power gives the following: Physical characters : (1) chaulmoogra oil: 
soft solid at ordinary temp., m. 22 — 3°, d 25 0.951 and d +s 0940, [a]^°-)-52-0“, 
acid value 23.9, sapon. value 213*0, I value 108*2. (2) Gynocardia oil : pale 
yellow liquid at ordinary temps., odor resembling that of linseed oil, d 2S 
0*925, acid value 4-90, sapon. value 197*0. I value 152.8. Chemical composi- 
tion : (1) chaulmoogra oil : (from the seeds of Taraktogenos Kurzii, King), 
optically active, consists, to a large extent, of the glyceryl esters of 
optically active acids of an entirely new type, represented by the general 
formula CnH in — *0 2 , having a cyclic structure. The acid present in the 
largest proportion possesses the formula C 18 H S1 0 2 , m. 88°, [a] D +58°, and 
has been designated chaulmoogric acid, while a lower homolog, 
m. BO 0 , [a] D -|-68’, has been termed hyd nocar pic acid, on account of having first 
been isolated from a hydnocarpus oil (J. Chem. Soc. 87, 888 (1905)). Both of 
these acids are beautifully cryst. substances, from which a number of derivs. 
have been prepd., and their constitution has also been definitely established 
(0. A. I, 1581, 2114). Inasmuch as acids of the above described type had 
hitherto not been known to occur in a fatty oil, they have been classified by 
Lewkowitseh (“ Chemical Technology and Analysis of Oils, Fats and Waxes") 
under the heading of “the chaulmoogric acid series.” Chaulmoogra oil 
contains, furthermore, a relatively small proportion of palmitic acid and a 
phytosterol. (2) Gynocardia oil (from the seeds of Gynocardia odorata, 
R. Br.) is completely devoid of optical activity, contains none of the members 
of the chaulmoogric acid series, and has been shown to consist of the glyceryl 
esters of the following acids : (c/. J. Chem. Soc. 87, 896-900 (1905 ) ; (1) linolic 
acid, or isomerides of the same series, constituting the largest proportion 
