Khapli wheat leaves contain a very small quantity of a trihydroxydimethoxyflavone, tricin. Marquis yields a trace of the same compound. These two varieties also contain water-soluble coloring matters which are apparently glucosides of tricin or of a closely related compound. Dyeing tests carried out with six other wheat varieties indicate that all contain essentially the same coloring matters.Methylation of tricin and hydrolysis of the resulting O-trimethyltricin yielded 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoic acid and 2-hydroxy-4,6-dimethoxyacetophenone. It was therefore assumed that tricetin, the pentahydroxyflavone derived from tricin, was 5,7,3′,4′,5′-pentahydroxyflavone. This was synthesized from 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoic acid and phloracetophenone by the Allan-Robinson method. Mixed melting-point determinations showed that its O-pentamethyl and O-penta-acetyl derivatives are identical with the corresponding derivatives of tricetin. The dyeing properties and color reactions of synthetic and natural tricetin are identical and are in fair agreement with those described by Badhwar, Kang and Ventkataraman (3, p. 1111) who recently reported the synthesis of the same compound.
THE PLANT COLORING MATTER, ROBININ
