PHYTOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF XANTHIUM STRUMARIUM

Abstract

Due to the existence of chemovarieties among Xanthium strumarium L. plants growing at different localities, this investigation was carried out on X. strumarium L. growing in Egypt. Xanthinin was isolated from the light petroleum extract (yield 1 %). From the unsaponifiable fraction of the light petroleum extract, a triterpene alcohol (yield 0.16 %) C ₃₀ H ₅₀₎ O ₂ , m. p. 211–213° C, [α]_D ²⁴ + 20°; acetyl derivative m. p. 208–210° C, and a phytosterol (yield 0.08 %), C ₂₈ H ₄₈ O ₂ , m. p. 146–148° C, [α]_D ²⁴ – 44°, acetyl derivative m. p. 126–127° C, were isolated. Another triterpene alcohol (yield 0.1 %) C ₃₀ H ₅₀ O ₅ , m. p. 274–276° C, [α]_D ¹⁹ – 50°, its tetraacetyl derivative m. p. 155–156° C was isolated from the ether extract. Choline, as its reineckate salt, was also isolated and identified.