Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/731

Rh melting, the chief product being a substance crystallising in colourless needles. Moist randiasapogenin dissolves in strong sulphuric acid to a yellow solution, which shows a characteristic green fluorescence.

Randic acid, C30H52O10, appears to be a monobasic acid of the series CnH2n-8O10 characterised by Kobert as the saponin series, and exists, apparently, in loose combination with randiasaponin. It crystallises from alcohol in white, nodular masses, and melts at 208—210°. It is sparingly soluble in water and ether, freely in alcohol, acetic acid, and concentrated sulphuric acid ; solutions of the alkali salts froth very readily. The potassium salt is insoluble in alcohol. The calcium, barium, ferrous, ferric, copper, lead, mercurous, and mercuric salts are mentioned. Randic acid resembles quillayic acid in dissolving red blood corpuscles without destroying the colouring matter, and in precipitating albumins and peptones. To these properties, and the similar property of randiasaponin, the poisonous character of the fruit is probably due.

Randiatannic acid exists in small quantity in the pericarp, and is a brown, very hygroscopic mass, which is freely soluble in ether, as well as in water and alcohol. It gives a green coloration with ferric chloride, and a yellow precipitate with basic lead acetate, and reduces alkaline copper solution.

One of the products of the decomposition of randiatannic acid appears to be randia-red, C33H34O20 a substance to which the brown colour of the pericarp of the fruit is due; this is precipitated by acids from the alkaline extract as a brown powder, which is insoluble in water, alcohol, and ether, but easily soluble in alkalis. The solutions give reddish precipitates with lead acetate and alum. A brownish-red colouring matter, probably the ammonium-derivative, is precipitated by ammonia from the acid mother liquor ; it forms a harsh mass resembling asphalt, and is soluble in hot water; it is decomposed by caustic soda with evolution of ammonia.

Randia fat is a yellowish-green substance of the consistence of butter; it melts at 28—29°, and its sp.gr. is 0.9175 at 20° The acid number is 13.8; the ester number, 146.4; the saponification number, 160.2; and the iodine number, after two hours, 43.24. (J. Ch. S. 1895 pp. 189-190).

Vern. : — Dikamali (H and Guz.) ; Konda-manga, tetta- manga kuru (C. P.) ; Karinga (Tel). ; Kumbi (Tam.).

Habitat: — Western Peninsula, common from the Concan southwards to Chittagong.

A small deciduous tree. Shoots resinous. Bark |in. thick, greenish grey, exfoliating in irregular flakes. Wood yellowish white, close-grained, hard ; no heartwood, no annual rings (Gamble). Leaves 3-10 by 2-5im, elliptic-oblong, narrowed into the short marginate petiole. Secondary nerves 20-25