ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Structural features of the polysaccharide from the plum-tree gum (Prunus domestica subsp. domestica)

J. Rosík, A. Kardošová, V. Zitko, and J. Kubala

Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava,

Abstract: Structural properties of the acidic polysaccharide (I) from the gum of the plum tree (P. domestica subsp. domestica) were studied. I, equiv. wt. 1440, [α]D 3° (c 0.68, 1 N NaOH), ̅Ms,D 190,000, and OMe 1.3%, was composed of D-glucuronic acid, 4-O-methyl-D-glucuronic acid, D-galactose, D-mannose, L-arabinose, and D-xylose in a molar ratio of 4:6:32:10:34:10, traces of L-rhamnose and an unidentified saccharide RXyl = 1.3 or RRha = 0.9. Autohydrolysis, of I gave an acidic degradation product (Ia) equiv. wt. 970, [α]D 17° (c 0.7, H2O), ̅Ms,D = 19,800, and OMe 1.6%, which was composed of D-glucuronic acid, 4-O-methyl-D-glucuronic acid, D-galactose, D-mannose, and D-xylose in a molar ratio of 4:6:32:10:5, traces of L-rhamnose an unidentified saccharide RXyl = 1.3 or RRha = 0.9. By partial hydrolysis, the homologous series of oligosaccharides β-D-GpA-1 → [6-β-D-Galp-1] (n = 0-2) → 6-D-Gal, the oligosaccharide β-D-GpA-(1 → 2)-D-Man and the homologous series of oligosaccharides 4-O-Me-β-D-GpA-1 → [6-β-D-Galp-1] (n = 0-4) → 6-D-Gal, and 4-O-methyl-D-glucuronic acid were isolated. The original and Ia were oxidized with periodate. The Ia was methylated and O-methyl derivs. of saccharides were identified by the paper and gas chromatog. The isolation of the homologous series indicates that the main chain is composed of β-(1 → 6) linked D-galactopyranose residues. The methylation expts. indicate that some D-galactopyranose residues are linked to (1 → 3) bonds. The non-reducing end groups are formed by 4-O-methyl-D-glucuronic acid, L-arabinose, D-xylose and probably L-rhamnose.

Full paper in Portable Document Format: 211-2a13.pdf

Chemical Papers 21 (1-2) 13–22 (1967)