CHEMICAL EXAMINATION OF IPOMOEA MURICATA SEEDS. PART I

The seeds of Ipomoea muricata have been chemically examined. Steam distillation does not yield any steam-volatile product. The seeds on complete incineration gave 5.65% of a greyish white ash. From the crashed seeds a crude enzyme has been prepared and purified by fractional precipitation with ammonium sulphate. The pale yellow semi-drying oil, obtained in about 8.4% yield from the seeds, gave on analysis: oleic 58,85%, linoleic 18.61%, linolenic 1.13%, palmitic 7.83%, stearic 11.23%, dihydroxystearir acid 0.8-1%. N0 behenic acid as reported by previous workers could be obtained. The unsaponifiable matter (1.09 %) was found to be a mixture of three sterols, m.p. 134º-35º of the composition C₂₇H₄₆O, C₂₇H₄₆O.H₂O.