Page:The Indian Journal of Medical Research, 1920.djvu/8

212 Chemical Investigation with Leprosy Inquiry. This seems to point to the fact that hj^dnocarpic acid and some of its homologues are really the ' active principle ' in chaulmoogra oil. Chaulmoogric acid itself cannot be used owing to the sparing solubility of its salts. An attempt was made to get over this difficulty by mixing pure chaulnio:>gric acid with some of the lower melting fatty acids but the S3dium salt of chaulmoogric acid separated on standing for a day.

The seeds from this tree, which is indigenous to the West of the Indian Peninsula, yield another variety of chaulmoogra oil. The oil examined was supplied by Messrs. Smith, Stanistreet & Co. The specific gravity at 22° was 0"9548 and it gave on hydrolysis a mixture of fatty acids melting at about 40°. These acids were fractionally crystallised from alcohol when the most sparingly soluble fraction was found to consist mainly of chaulmoogric acid (about 73 per cent), the second fraction (about 10 per cent) being mainly hydnocarpic acid. The sodium salt of the second fraction was found to be most efficacious and convenient for use in the treatment of leprosy.

This tree, which is known as the small chaulmoogra or small kalawathi, occurs in Burma and also in Madras and Ceylon.

The seeds when cold and hot pressed gave the following proportions of oil — Cold : Hot= 2"02: 1. A mixture of the cold and hot pressed oils had the following constants : — M. P. about 20°, D^^ 0-9536, iodine value 9969, neutralisation value of total fatty acids 203" 4 milligrams of KOH, M. P. of total fatty acids 41 — 44°. In chloroform solution the oil was dextro-rotatory.

The fatty acids were fractionally crystallised from alcohol when the least soluble fraction (about 94 per cent) consisted of almost pure chaulmoogric acid, whilst the second fraction (about 8" 7 per cent) was found to be mainly hydnocarpic acid. The sodium salt of the second fraction was found to be most suitable for injection.

An attempt was made to use the ^hyl ester of the total fatty acids but its use was discontinued.

From the ethereal extract of the hydrolysed oil phytosterol was isolated. • C. J. Lewkowitsch.— Oiij, Fats and Waxes, 6th Ed., Vol. II, pp. 493-495. n