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A preliminary investigation of the structure of green wattle tannin (acacia decurrens willd)

Green wattle tannin extracts were separated by lead salt precipitation into a phenolic tannin fraction and a nontannin fraction. The combustion analysis of the tannin fraction corresponded to an empirical formula C₁₅H₁₄O₆. Methoxy and acetyl values showed four oxygens were hydroxy groups while the residual oxygens could either be ether linked or carbonyl groups. Diazomethane methylation produced a white product of high methoxyl value which indicated that the four hydroxyl groups were phenolic. Chromatography of the lead salt purified tannin showed an indistinct non-fluorescent trail. Ether extraction of the tannin removed the associated Phenolic bodies. The ethereal extract unlike black wattle extracts contained no fisetin and evaporation of the ethereal solutions yielded a gummy non-crystalline residue. Alkaline fusion of the purified tannin produced for the first tlme a variety of acidic and phenolic compounds i.e. resorcinol, pyrogaloll, phloroglucinol β-resorcylic acid, gallic acid and protocatechuic acid. From the high yields of resorcinol (6%) and gallic acid (3%), these units appear to predominate. These degradation productions, coupled with the analytical figures, indicate a possible C₁₅ unit with resorcinol and pyrogallol nuclei as a basis. The non-tannin fraction failed to reveal any compound which might cause the excessive redness in green wattle extracts. Chromatography of this non-tannin fraction showed the presence of sucrose.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:rhodes/vital:4475
Date January 1952
CreatorsGlueck, Leonard David
PublisherRhodes University, Faculty of Science, Chemistry
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis, Masters, MSc
Format70 p., pdf
RightsGlueck, Leonard David

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