AmkpHiri9ih3arm'}      Constituents  of  Taraxacum  Root.  185 
Summary  and  Conclusions. 
The  material  employed  for  this  investigation  consisted  of  the 
air-dried,  fresh  roots  of  taraxacum  {Taraxacum  officinale,  Wig- 
gers),  collected  in  the  autumn  from  plants  grown  in  England. 
The  roots  were  found  to  contain  a  very  small  amount  of  an 
enzyme,  which  slowly  hydrolysed  amygdalin. 
An  alcoholic  extract  of  the  root,  when  distilled  in  a  current  of 
steam,  yielded  a  small  amount  of  a  yellow  essential  oil.  From 
the  portion  of  the  extract  which  was  soluble  in  water,  the  following 
substances  were  isolated:  (i)  ^-hydroxyphenylacetic  acid,  CsHs03 
(m.  p.  144 — 1460)  ;  (ii)  3 : 4-dihydraxycinnamic  acid,  C9H804 
(m.  p.  214 — 2160)  ;  (iii)  a  small  amount  of  choline,  C5H1502N, 
which  was  identified  by  its  gold  and  platinum  compounds.  The 
aqueous  liquid  contained,  furthermore,  a  considerable  quantity  of 
a  lsevorotatory  sugar,  which  appeared  to  consist  chiefly,  if  not 
entirely,  of  lsevulose,  and  yielded  an  osazone,  melting  at  204 — 2060. 
The  portion  of  the  alcoholic  extract  which  was  insoluble  in 
water  consisted  of  a  soft*  oily  resin,  which  amounted  to<  1.8  per 
cent,  of  the  weight  of  the  root.  From  this  material  the  following 
compounds  were  isolated:  (i)  a  new  monohydric  alcohol,  taraxa- 
steroi,  C29H47.OH  (m.  p.  221 — 222 0  ;  [a]  0+96.3°),  which  yielded 
an  acetyl  derivative  (m.  p.  251 — 252°;  [a]D  +122. 2°),  a  mono- 
bromaacetyl  derivative  (m.  p.  233 — 234°),  and  a  benzoyl  derivative 
(m.  p.  232°)  ;  (ii)  a  new  monohydric  alcohol,  homotaraxastcrol, 
C25H39.OH  (m.  p.  163 — 164°  ;  [a] D +25.3°),  which  yielded  an 
acetyl  derivative  (m,  p.  219 — 220°  [a]D  -f-28.10),  and  a  benzoyl 
derivative  (m.  p.  202°).  The  above-mentioned  alcohols,  together  with 
two  previously  isolated  compounds,  androsterol,  C30H49.OH,  and 
homoandrosterol,  C27H43.OH  {Trans.,  1909,  95,  739),  constitute  an 
homologous  group,  which  is  represented  by  the  general  formula 
C„H2„_10O;  (iii)  Cluytianol,  C29H460(OH)4,  melting  at  297° 
{Trans.,  1912,  p.  2230),  from  which  the  tetra-acetyl  and  tetrabenzoyl 
derivatives  were  prepared;  (iv)  palmitic,  cerotic,  and  melissic  acids, 
together  with  a  mixture  of  unsaturated  acids,  consisting  chiefly 
of  oleic  and  linolic  acids,  with,  apparently,  a  little  linolenic  acid. 
The  bitter  taste  of  taraxacum,  which  has  hitherto  been  ascribed 
to  the  so-called  "  taraxacin,"  appears  to  be  due  chiefly  to  dark- 
colored,  amorphous  material,  and  not  to  any  distinct  principle. 
It  was  found,  for  example,  that  the  portion  of  an  alcoholic  extract 
