Dragon's Blood,A resin derived from the fruit of Calamus Draco.

Dragon's blood Chemical Composition.:

Dragon's Blood Extract Calamus Draco Calamus gum Willdenow extract Daemomorops draco Sanguis Draconis photo picture image Herberger found dragon's blood to consist chiefly of a red resin (90.7 per cent) which he called draconin. He also established the presence of benzoic acid. Hlasiwetz and Barth by fusing dragon's blood with caustic potash obtained benzoic, para-oxy-benzoic, oxalic and probably protocatechuic acids. E. Hirschsohn (Jahresb. der Pharm., 1877, pp. 54 and 404) established the behavior of genuine dragon's blood toward solvents and reagents. It is soluble in alcohol and ether with red color, less so in chloroform; if the article is derived from Pterocarpus Draco of the West Indies, it will be but little soluble in chloroform. Petroleum ether abstracted only from 1 to 7 per cent of soluble matter. Dragon's blood, in connection with other resins, was investigated in recent years by Prof. Tschirch and his pupils. K. Dieterich (Jahresb. der Pharm., 1896, p. 159) examined a specimen derived from Daemonorops Draco (Java and Sumatra) and found it to contain: (1) Dracoalban (2.5 percent) an amorphous indifferent, not fusible body, abstracted by ether and precipitated by alcohol; it has the formula, C20H40O4; (2) dracoresin (13.58 per cent) soluble in petroleum ether, alcohol, and ether, of the formula, C20H44O2, fusing at 74 Deg C. (165.2 Deg F.); (3) red resin (56.8 per cent), a mixture of two esters, namely, compounds of the alcohol, C8H10O2 (dracoresino-tannol) with benzoic acid (C6H5.COOH) and with benzoyl acetic acid (C6H5.CO.CH2.COOH); (4) a resin soluble in alcohol, insoluble in ether (0.33 per cent); (5) phlobaphenes (0.03 per cent); (6) woody fragments, etc. (18.40 per cent); (7) ash (8.30 per cent). Draco-resino-tannol yields, upon dry distillation, benzene (benzol), toluene, styrol, phenyl acetylene, phenol, resorcin, pyrogallol, phloroglucin, acetic acid and creosote.

The soluble portion of dragons' blood consists of about 56 per cent. of a red resin (dracoresinotannol combined with benzoic and benzoyl-acetic acids), 13 per cent. of a bright yellow amorphous resene (dracoresene), and 2.5 per cent. of a white amorphous body (dracoalban). The latter may be detected in Sumatran dragons' blood by boiling 10 grammes of powdered resin in 50 mils of ether, concentrating to 30 mils and pouring into 50 mils of absolute alcohol; on allowing it to stand for an hour, a white, flocculent precipitate of dracoalban is obtained.
Dragon's Blood Extract Calamus Draco Calamus gum Willdenow extract Daemomorops draco Sanguis Draconis photo picture image

Several analyses of Dragon's Blood have been made with the following results:

(1) 50 to 70 per cent resinous compound of benzoic and benzylacetic acid, with dracoresinotannol, and also dracon alban and dracoresene.

Note:Benzoic acid, C6H5C(O)OH, is an aromatic carboxylic acid. Benzoic acid is used as a food preservative and occurs naturally in certain plants. For example, it is a major component of gum benzoin, which in turn is a major component of the type of church incense used in Russia and some other Orthodox Christian societies.
The aromatic ring is similar to that of benzene.
Among benzoic acid's derivatives are Salicylic acid and 2-O-acetylsalicyclic acid, also known as aspirin.
As a food additive, it is, in Europe, known as E210 for the pure compound, or as E211, E212, or E213 for its salts.

benzoyl-acetic acid;benzylacetic acid:hydrocinnamic acid(benzenepropanoic acid, 3-phenyl-n-propionic acid, benzylacetic acid);CAS 501-52-0 - MW 150.17

(2) 56.8 per cent of red resin compounded of the first three mentioned above, 2.5 per cent of the white, amorphous dracoalban, 13.58 of the yellow, resinous dracoresene, 18.4 vegetable debris, and 8.3 per cent. ash.

(3) 90.7 per cent of red resin, draconin, 2.0 of fixed oil, 3.0 of benzoic acid, 1.6 of calcium oxalate, and 3.7 of calcium phosphate.

(4) 2.5 per cent of draco-alban, 13.58 of draco resen, 56.86 of draco resin, benzoic dracoresinotannol ester and benzoylaceticdracoresinotannol ester, with 18.4 of insoluble substances.

Dragon's Blood is not acted upon by water, but most of it is soluble in alcohol. It fuses by heat. The solution will stain marble a deep red, penetrating in proportion to the heat of the stone.

Dragon's blood, in connection with other resins, was investigated in recent years by Prof. Tschirch and his pupils. K. Dieterich (Jahresb. der Pharm., 1896, p. 159) examined a specimen derived from Daemonorops Draco (Java and Sumatra) and found it to contain: (1) Dracoalban (2.5 percent) an amorphous indifferent, not fusible body, abstracted by ether and precipitated by alcohol; it has the formula, C20H40O4; (2) dracoresin (13.58 per cent) soluble in petroleum ether, alcohol, and ether, of the formula, C20H44O2, fusing at 74 Deg C. (165.2 Deg F.); (3) red resin (56.8 per cent), a mixture of two esters, namely, compounds of the alcohol, C8H10O2 (dracoresino-tannol) with benzoic acid (C6H5.COOH) and with benzoyl acetic acid (C6H5.CO.CH2.COOH); (4) a resin soluble in alcohol, insoluble in ether (0.33 per cent); (5) phlobaphenes (0.03 per cent); (6) woody fragments, etc. (18.40 per cent); (7) ash (8.30 per cent). Draco-resino-tannol yields, upon dry distillation, benzene (benzol), toluene, styrol, phenyl acetylene, phenol, resorcin, pyrogallol, phloroglucin, acetic acid and creosote.
Dragon's Blood Extract Calamus Draco Calamus gum Willdenow extract Daemomorops draco Sanguis Draconis photo picture image

Chemical Composition:57 to 82% part of xue jie is a mixture of :

Resin esters:(C6 H5 CO-CH2 CO-OC8 H9O);Dracoresino tannol ( C6 H5 CO-OC8 H9 O);also contiains:

Dracoalban,~ 2.5%;Dracoresene~14%;insoluble resin 0.3%;plant residue 18.4%;Phlobaphen 0.03%;ash 8.3%;
dracorhodin,(C17H14O3);dracorubin,(C32H24O5);

and flavane type of pigments:
nordracorhodin,(C16H11O3);nordracorubin,(C31H21O5);(2S)-5-methoxy-6methylflavan-7-ol;(2S)-5-methoxyflavan-7-ol;2,4-dihydroxy- 5-methyl-6-methoxychalcone;(2,4-dihydroxy-6- methoxychaicone);pimaric acid,(C20H30O2);isopimaric acid;dehydroabietic acid,(C20H28O2);abietic acid,(C20H30O2);sandaracopimaric acid,(C20H30O2)

the content of red resin :dracoresino tannoI;benzoic acid;compounds of benzoylacetic acid.

Reference:

1.Dragon's Blood,A resin derived from the fruit of Calamus Draco.

Article Information:

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♣ last edit date:Nov 26th 2012 at 14:30