Abstract
β-INDOLYLACETALDEHYDE (III), the aldehyde corresponding to heteroauxin, has been reported to have been detected (for example, by enzymatic oxidation to an active acidic auxin) in the tissues of several plant species1,2. It has also been postulated as an intermediate in the possible in vivo conversion of tryptophane into heteroauxin. Larsen1 has described the preparation of a material containing about two per cent of β-indolylacetaldehyde by heating tryptophane with ninhydrin (or isatin) in aqueous solution; but so far, the pure compound has not been isolated or characterized by means of crystalline derivatives.
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References
Larsen, P., “Ann. Rev. Plant Physiology”, 2, 176 (1951); this article summarizes previous work in this field.
Gordon, S. A., and Nieva, F. S., Arch. Biochem., 20, 356, 367 (1949).
Bentley, J. A., J. Exp. Bot., 1, 201 (1950).
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BROWN, J., HENBEST, H. & JONES, E. Synthesis and Biological Activity of β-Indolylacetaldehyde. Nature 169, 335 (1952). https://doi.org/10.1038/169335a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/169335a0
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