Abstract

Extraction with amyl alcohol of aqueous fractions of the powdered fruit husk of Parkia clappertoniana, earlier acid-hydrolysed and extracted with ethyl acetate, yielded a maximum of five anthocyanidins: petunidin, pelargonidin, malvidin, delphinidin and cyanidin. Characterisation of these compounds for the first time, in this potentially significant tanning material of tropical origin, was accomplished by means of reactions to characteristic tests, paper chromatography and co-chromatography and by applying standard spectrophotometric techniques with the aid of authentic markers.