ChEBI: A carotenoid ether that is (3E,3'E)-1,1'-dihydroxy-3,3',4,4'-tetradehydro-1,1',2,2'-tetrahydro-psi,psi-carotene in which both hydroxyl hydrogens are replaced by methyl groups.
Spirilloxanthin crystallises from CHCl3/pet ether, acetone/pet ether, *C6H6/pet ether or *C6H6 as deep red spindle-like crystals. Purify it also by chromatography on a column of CaCO3/Ca(OH)2 mixture, Ca(OH)2 or deactivated alumina and elute it with a *C6H6/MeOH mixture. It gives a blue colour with SbCl3 in CHCl3 with at 642nm. [Polgar et al. Arch max Biochem Biophys 5 243 1944, Synthesis: Surmatis & Ofner J Org Chem 28 2735 1963, Karrer & Koenig Helv Chim Acta 23 460 1940.] Store it in the dark in an inert atmosphere at -20o. [Beilstein 1 III 2297, 1 IV 2750.]
