Alkaloids of an Ipomoea Seed commonly known as Kaladana in Pakistan

Abstract

IN an earlier paper, one of us¹ reported that a sample of ^Kaladana seed from Pakistan contained 0.49 per cent of alkaloids, on defatted basis, calculated as elymoclavine. Lysergol constituted 53 per cent and chanoclavine 37 per cent of the total alkaloids. The alkaloids were identified by paper and thin-layer chromatography in seven different solvent systems, by behaviour in ultra-violet light arid coloration by van Urk's reagent and by determination of the melting point. Quantitatively, the total alkaloids were determined colorimetrically in a spectrophotonleter after they had reacted with Ehrlich's reagent—the absorbance being measured at 590 mµ. The individual alkaloids were then separated from each other by elution from Whatman paper No. 3 MM arid similarly determined.