Constituents  of  Taraxacum  Root. 
(Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
1       April,  1913. 
Although  this  substance  agrees  in  its  empirical  composition  with 
ipurariol,  C29H4T02 (OH)3,  a  trihydric  alcohol  which  has  been 
obtained  in  these  laboratories  from  many  sources,  and  also  yields 
the  same  colour  reaction  as  ipuranol,  the  analysis  and  characters 
of  its  derivatives  proved  it  to  be  identical  with  a  new  tetrahydric 
alcohol,  C29H4bO(OH)4,  recently  isolated  by  Tutin  and  Clewer  from 
the  South  African  plant  Cluytia  similis,  Muell.  Arg.,  and  designated 
by  them  cluytianol  (Trans.  Chem.  Soc,  vol.  101,  p.  2230). 
Tetra-acetylcluytianol,  C29H4605(CO.CH3)4. — This  compound 
(m.  p.  161  °)  was  prepared  as  above  described: 
0.0820  gave  0.2064  C02  and  0.0673  H20.    C  =68.6;  H  =  9.1. 
Its  molecular  weight  was  determined  by  Mr.  H.  W.  B.  Clewer: 
0.4326,  in  26.45  °f  benzene,  gave  At — 0.120.  M.W.=668. 
C37H5809  requires  C  —  68.7 ;  H  =  9.0  per  cent.    M.W.=  646. 
A  determination  of  its  optical  rotatory  power  gave  the  following 
result : 
0.1976,  made  up  to  20  c.c.  with  ethyl  acetate,  gave  aD — o°  24'  in 
a  2-dcm  tube,  when  [a]D — 20.2  °. 
Tetrabenzoylcluytianol,  C29H4605(CO.C6H5)4. — A  little  of  this 
compound  was  prepared  by  treating  the  respective  alcohol  with 
benzoyl  chloride  in  the  presence  of  pyridine.  The  product,  after 
repeated  crystallisation  from  a  mixture  of  chloroform  and  alcohol, 
separated  in  small,  colorless  needles,  melting  at  1960  : 
0.0620  gave  0.1733  C02  and  0.0443  H20.    C  =  76.2 ;  H  =  7.9. 
C57H6609  requires  C  =  76.5  ;  H  =  7.4  per  cent. 
Chloroform,  Ethyl  Acetate,  and  Alcohol  Extracts  of  the 
Resin. 
These  extracts  were  dark  brown,  amorphous  products,  and 
amounted  to  10,  10.5,  and  40  grams  respectively.  They  were 
separately  examined,  but  nothing  definite  could  be  isolated  from 
them.  The  ethyl  acetate  and  alcohol  extracts  were  therefore 
heated  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid  in  aqueous  alcohol,  and  the 
mixture  distilled  in  a  current  of  steam.  The  distillate  contained 
traces  of  an  oily  substance,  which  gave  the  color  reaction  of 
furfuraldehyde,  but  no  sugar  appeared  to  be  produced,  and  the 
extracts  were  evidently  not  glucosidic. 
