THE CHEMICAL CONSTITUTION OF CHINESE DRUG“HWAI-HUA-ME”(槐花米)——PART Ⅱ.HWAI-HUA-MENINE-B(or SORPHORINE-B)

From Chinese drug "Hwai-Hua-Me",six compounds have been isolated.The first one has been named Sorphorine-A and assigned a molecular formula of C₂₉H₃₆O₁₇. It forms yellowish green needle crystals when crystalized from methyl alec- hol with ether and start to melt at 198-203°(small bulb),changes color around 210°,melts at 244-250° with decompose.The second one has been named sorphorine-B and assigned the molecular formula C₂₇H₄₅O₁₀.It forms colorless hexagonal crystals and melts at 272-294°;a_D¹⁰=±0°.It is a neutral com- pound with absence of N.It is not reduced by Mg-HCI and insoluble in dilute alkali solution.It proves that sorphorine-B is not a flavone.It is not hydrolized by conc.NaOH or dilute HCI solution.Therefore it is not an ester,anhydride, lactone,acetal,and glucoside.It does not react with FeCl₃ solution and ceric nitrate reagent.It is not a phenolic compound but probably is a high molecular alcohol.It gives positive test with Liebermann's,Sulkowski & Tschugajiff,Lieber- man-Burchards' reactions.It forms an acetate C₃₇H₃₅O₁₅,m.p.,150-152°,which contains 5 CH₃CO-groups,therefore,it contains 5 OH-groupe.It gives positive reac- tion with Gaebel's solution showing the presence of methylendioxy-group It is decolorized by Br₂-CCl₄ very slowly and also decolorized by hot alkaline potassium permanganate solution,unsaturation on oxidizable groups is indicated.Moreover, it does not react with Tollen's reagent,Fehling's solution and 2,4-dinitrophenylhy- drazine showing the adsence of carbonyl group.The constitution of sorphorine-B (Huai Hua Minine-B) may be therefore deduced as follows: