Thevetin A is a cardiac glycoside that can lead to intoxication and poisoning.
ChEBI: Thevetin A is a trisaccharide derivative and a gentiobiosylthevetoside. It is functionally related to a cannogenin.
A mixture of Thevetins A and B was prepared by extraction from seeds of
Thevetia neriifolia.
100 g of this mixture are dissolved in 1500 ml of aqueous ethanol at 96°C.
Then 50 ml of a 30% solution of sodium bisulfite is added. The solution is left
for about 1 hour and is then diluted with 3 L of water. The resulting solution is
extracted 3 times in reflux extraction apparatus with 4 L of n-butanol as the
extraction solvent. Thevetin A passes into said n-butanol which is then washed
with distilled water and evaporated to dryness. The crude thevetin A is
recrystallized in absolute ethanol (100 ml) and precipitating with 10 volumes
of isopropyl oxide. The residual thevetin B of the bisulfite solution also may be
prepared.
Crystallise thevetin A from H2O. The acetyl derivative crystallises from MeOH/Et2O at -15o with m 145-149o, and [] D -54.2o (c 1.86, CHCl3). [Block et al. Helv Chim Acta 43 652 1960, 13C NMR: Tori et al. Tetrahedron Lett 717 1977, Beilstein 18 III/IV 2552, 18/4 V 439.]