Occurrence of Mannitol in Spike Disease of Santalum album (Linn.)

Abstract

WHILE investigating the water soluble constituents of the spiked leaf of sandal, it was found that crystals of mannitol separated on slowly evaporating the extract after clarification with basic lead acetate. 2–3 per cent of the alcohol, calculated on the weight of the green material, has been found in all the samples so far examined (15), while in no case has it been detected in healthy samples. The significance of this fact at the present stage is difficult to understand, but it appears that mannitol is one of the metabolic products of the virus. Whether such characteristic products are formed during the course of other well-known virus diseases or not is a matter for future investigation, and workers in similar fields will, no doubt, be interested in this discovery.