Fixed oil from Elettaria cardamomum seeds

Abstract

Removal of volatile oils with steam from the dried seeds followed by CCl4 extn. of the residue yielded 4% fixed oil of a pale greenish yellow color with a nutty flavor. Purification by chromatographing over alumina gave a yellow oil. The crude and purified fixed oils had the following phys. and chem. characteristics, resp.: n26D 1.4715, n25D 1.4710; d2626 0.9320, d2525 0.9376; acid no. 31.98, nil; sapon. no. 209.00, 212.20; I no. (Wijs') 90.60, 89.70; Hehner no. 88.5, 91.85% [α] (CHCl3) nil, nil; Reichert-Meissl no. 11.12, -; Polensk´e no. 1.45, -; acetyl no. 8.8, -; unsaponifiable matter 5.87%, nil. The mixed fatty acids (83%) of the crude fixed oil contained caprylic and caproic 0.3, palmitic 8.4, stearic 18.3, oleic 62.6, and linoleic acids 10.5%. The glyceride-type distribution of the oil, as detd. by Kartha's method (C.A. 37, 6592i), were as follows: GS3 0.60, GS2U 23.42, GSU2 43.84, and GU3 32.10. The unsaponifiable matter gave a pos. Lieberman-Burchard test for sterols. The sterol is probably β-sitosterol as its digitonide, m. 136-7°, acetyl deriv., m. 126-7°