A STUDY OF THE PECTIN PRESENT IN THE BARK OF AMABILIS FIR (ABIES AMABILIS)

Abstract

A pectic material has been isolated from the bark of Abies amabilis (Dougl.) Forbes in a yield of 2%. On hydrolysis it yielded D-galacturonic acid, D-galactose, and L-arabinose in a ratio of 85:4:11, and also traces of rhamnose. The product, when submitted to several conventional fractionation methods, appeared homogeneous. Further resolution could be effected by acidification of an aqueous solution of the pectin, followed by ultracentrifugation. The insoluble portion (50%) was an electrophoretically homogeneous galacturonan with [α]D + 246°. The material remaining in solution (30%), here referred to as a pectic acid, had [α]D + 225° and on hydrolysis gave D-galacturonic acid, D-galactose, and L-arbabinose in a ratio of 74:7:19, as well as traces of rhamnose.The structure of the galacturonan was established by partial hydrolysis and methylation. It consisted of α-D-galacturonic acid residues linked together by (1 → 4)-glycosidic bonds to a linear macromolecule. The same techniques were applied to the pectic acid. While a unique structural formula could not be assigned in this case, one probable alternative involved a framework of (1 → 4)-linked α-D-galacturonic acid residues together with a few residues of 1,2,4-linked L-rhamnose. Some of the galacturonic acid units carried at C-2 and C-3 side chains which were terminated by D-galactopyranose and L-arabinofuranose residues. A few of the latter also occurred as inner units, probably in the side chains. This appears to be the first time a pectic material has been resolved into a galacturonan and a pectic acid containing the four sugar residues usually found in pectins. It is probable that the pectin occurring to a limited extent in wood has a similar composition.