The Strophanthins of Strophanthus Eminii

In accordance with a plan to investigate as fully as possible the essential chemistry of the strophanthins and other cardiac glucosides, we have attempted to include for comparative purposes, as opportunity presented itself, a study of the digitaloid glucosides and aglucones which occur in the different species of Strophanthus plants. Our own and previous investigations have had to do principally with the glucosides of Strophanthus kombe, Strophanthus hispidus, Strophanth,us gratus, and Xtrophanthus sarmentosus. And now a further opportunity has been offered to include a study from this standpoint of the seeds of Strophanthus eminii. Through the very generous cooperation of the Director of Agriculture of Tanganyika Territory, arrangements were made for the collection by field officers of his department of seeds of this Strophanthus species. 20 pounds of the cleaned seeds were procured in Sept’ember, 1929, in the Shinyanga and Bahama areas of this territory. They were found by us to give uniformly a rose color with sulfuric acid. An earlier sample of such seeds collected in 1925 was stated by the Director to have been identified at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, England, as being those of Strophanthus eminii. As far as previous literature on the glucosides of Strophanthus eminii is concerned, the only reference which we have been able to find is the brief statement of Thorns1 that the strophanthin of Strophanthus eminii’ is different from any strophanthins known at that time. During the present study, we have found the glucoside mixture to be of complex character. It consists of easily hydrolyzable glucosides and of more stable glucosides. The former, which were