Abstract
SINCE 1900 a considerable number of plants yielding prussic acid have been investigated in the Scientific and Technical Department of the Imperial Institute. Among these are Lotus arabicus, a plant which grows commonly along the valley of the Nile; Sorghum vulgare, widely cultivated as a cereal in tropical countries; the Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus); common flax; and cassava (Manihot utilissima). The source of prussic acid in each of these cases has been proved to be a glucoside, which in the presence of water is decomposed by an enzyme, also occurring in the plant, yielding prussic acid, glucose, and a third neutral substance. Three of these glucosides have been fully studied by Prof. Dunstan and Dr. Henry. Lotusin, C28H31O16N, from Lotus arabicus, is comparatively complex in structure, and is the lotoflavin ether of maltose cyanohydrin, lotoflavin being a yellow colouring matter isomeric with fisetin and luteolin, and belonging, like these, to the quercetin group of dyes. Dhurrin, C14H17O6N, from Sorghum vulgare, is a dextrose ether of parahydroxybenzaldehyde cyanohydrin. Phaseolunatin, C10H17O6N, which occurs in the Lima bean, flax, and cassava, has been shown to be a dextrose ether of acetone cyanohydrin (Phil. Trans., 1901, B, 515; 1902, A, 399; Proc. Roy. Soc., 1903, lxxii., 285; 1906, lxxviii., 545 and 152; British Association Reports, 1906, and Ann. Chim. Phys., 1907, [viii.], x., 118).
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Cyanogenesis in Plants and the Constitution of Phaseolunatin . Nature 75, 452 (1907). https://doi.org/10.1038/075452a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/075452a0