Manufacturing Process
Finely ground seeds of Castilloa elastica (3550 g) are percolated with
sufficient light petroleum (boiling point 60°-80°C) to ensure removal of all the
fat. The mart is dried with a current of air and percolated with chloroform
until no further color is obtained with alkaline m-dinitrobenzene. The percolate
is evaporated under reduced pressure, the residue triturated with dry ether
(750 ml) and filtered. The residue (69.75 g) is washed with dry ether, dried,
and some of the washed residue (20 g) is dissolved in a benzene-chloroform
mixture (50 ml), comprising one part benzene to two parts chloroform by
volume, and is absorbed on to a column of alumina (7x32 cm), previously
deactivated with 10% acetic acid [hereinafter referred to as Column (l)] and
eluted with the same solvent mixture.
The compositions of the following fractions (collected from Column (I)) are
identified by paper chromatography using Whatman No. 1 paper [Registered
Trade Mark] and the aforementioned benzene-chloroform mixture.
Column (I). Fraction: (a) a pigment; (b) a substance of Rf 0.66; (c) a small
quantity of a substance of Rf 0.66 and a substance of Rf 0.45; (d) a substance
of Rf 0.45.
Fraction (c) is obtained from the column and concentrated. The solid residue
is dissolved in the aforementioned benzene-chloroform mixture (15 ml) and
fractionated further on a second deactivated alumina column (4x30cm). From
this column [hereinafter referred to as Column (II)] the following fractions are
collected and identified using the same chromatographic system as was used
for identifying the fractions of Column (I).
Column (II). Fraction: (a) a substance of Rf 0.66; (b) a trace of a substance
of Rf 0.66; (c) a substance of Rf 0.45.
The fractions (d) of Column (I) and (c) of Column (II) are combined and
evaporated and the residue (80 g) crystallized from methanol and ether
followed by further re-crystallization from dilute alcohol. On heating to 120°C
under a pressure of 0.01 mm/Hg, the crystals Iost water to give a compound,
cymarin, which has an [α]d
22 =+39.0°. The [α]d
20 of cymarin (obtained from
another source) in methanol is + 39.3°.
Alternatively, fractional crystallization may be used in place of adsorption
chromatography
Cumarin may be also prepared from seeds of Strophantus Kombe
General Description
This substance is a primary reference substance with assigned absolute purity (considering chromatographic purity, water, residual solvents, inorganic impurities). The exact value can be found on the certificate. Produced by PhytoLab GmbH & Co. KG
