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Planta Med 1974; 25(1): 22-27
DOI: 10.1055/s-0028-1097908
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

APPLICATION OF ANTIMONY TRICHLORIDE REAGENT IN BIOCHEMICAL AND CHEMOTAXONOMIC STUDIES RELATING TO DIOSGENIN AND YAMOGENIN IN PLANTS

E. A. Sofowora, R. Hardman
  • Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ife, Nigeria and University of Bath, School of Pharmacy, Bath, England
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Publication Date:
14 January 2009 (online)

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Abstract

A saturated solution of antimony trichloride in 60 % perchloric acid (Reagent C) was used to detect diosgenin and yamogenin, by direct application to plant specimens in the family Zygophyllaceae. The presence of sapogenins in some of the plant parts was confirmed by I. R. analysis after processing the material on macroscale.

The significance of the colours produced by the plant species tested was discussed in relation to the chemotaxonomy of the family Zygophyllaceae while the possible utilisation of the test reagent in quick identification of chemical races was noted.

The reagent also served to investigate the distribution of sapogenins in microtome sections of Dioscorea deltoidea tuber and young rots of Balanites aegyptiaca and it gave confirmatory evidence pin pointing the site of sapogenin synthesis in the latter species to be the root.

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