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ABSTRACT WHEN the dried petals of _Adonis annua_ L. (Ranunculaceæ) (pheasant's eye) are extracted with light petroleum or methanol comparatively large quantities of a deep orange-red

carotenoid are obtained. This pigment had an absorption spectrum (in light petroleum, _n_-hexane, carbon disulphate and pyridine) very similar to that of astaxanthin1; as the pigment is

epiphasic in the 90 per cent aqueous methanol/light petroleum partition test, it would appear to be esterified astaxanthin2. The nature of the pigment was confirmed by saponifying the

extract. This hydrolyses the esters and converts the liberated astaxanthin into astacin3 which when the reaction mixture is shaken with ether to extract the unsaponifiable material, collects

at the interface as a flocculent orange-red mass. No other known carotenoid behaves in this manner; they are all extractable from a saponification mixture with ether. The flocculent red

mass was washed free of alkali and dissolved in dilute hydrochloric acid; as is the case with authentic astacin, the pigment was now extracted from the aqueous phase by ether. The pigment

was then purified by chromatography on sugar. Further confirmation of the identification of our pigment with astacin came from various comparisons with authentic astacin (from lobsters); (1)

the absorption spectra of the two pigments measured in a number of solvents were identical in position and shape; (2) on co-chromatography on icing sugar using light petroleum containing 2

per cent (v/v) acetone the mixture of the two pigments moved slowly down the column but there was no resolution into two bands; (3) treatment of both pigments with lithium aluminium hydride

produces identical pigments (probably 3,4,3′,4′-tetrahydroxy-β-carotene) with absorption spectra indistinguishable from that of β-carotene. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe

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FLORAL MORPHOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL ANALYSES OF _DIENIA_ FLOWERS (ORCHIDACEAE, MALAXIDINAE) RELATIVE TO POLLINATION PROCESSES Article Open access 03 January 2025 OSCILLATING FLOWER COLOUR

CHANGES OF _CAUSONIS JAPONICA_ (THUNB.) RAF. (VITACEAE) LINKED TO SEXUAL PHASE CHANGES Article Open access 01 December 2022 INVESTIGATIONS ON THE MORPHO-ANATOMY AND HISTOCHEMISTRY OF THE

EUROPEAN MISTLETOE: _VISCUM ALBUM_ L. SUBSP. _ALBUM_ Article Open access 21 March 2023 REFERENCES * Goodwin, T. W., _‘Handbook of Plant Analysis’_, 2 (1955). Google Scholar  * Seybold, A.,

_Sitzgsber. Hdbg, Akad. Wiss., Math.-naturw._ Kl. 31–124 (1953–54). * Goodwin, T. W., _‘Comparative Biochemistry of the Carotenoids’_ (London: Chapman & Hall, 1952). Google Scholar 

Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION Author notes * T. W. GOODWIN Present address: Department of Agricultural Chemistry, University College of Wales, Aberystwyth AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS *

Botanisches Institut Universität, Heidelberg A. SEYBOLD * Biochemistry Department, The University, Liverpool, T. W. GOODWIN Authors * A. SEYBOLD View author publications You can also search

for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * T. W. GOODWIN View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE SEYBOLD, A., GOODWIN, T. Occurrence of Astaxanthin in the Flower Petals of _Adonis annua_ L.. _Nature_ 184, 1714–1715 (1959).

https://doi.org/10.1038/1841714a0 Download citation * Issue Date: 28 November 1959 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1841714a0 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will

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