Digitonin

Structural formula
General
Surname	Digitonin
other names	Digitin
Molecular formula	C 56 H 92 O 29
Brief description	white solid
External identifiers / databases
CAS number 11024-24-1 EC number 234-255-6 ECHA InfoCard 100.031.129 PubChem 25444 ChemSpider 23753 Wikidata Q410968
properties
Molar mass	1229.31 g · mol -1
Physical state	firmly
Melting point	234-240 ° C
solubility	little in water (10 g l −1 at 80 ° C)
safety instructions
GHS labeling of hazardous substances danger H and P phrases H: 301-311-330 P: 260-280-284-310
As far as possible and customary, SI units are used. Unless otherwise noted, the data given apply to standard conditions .

Digitonin , also called digitin , is a natural steroid - glycoside .

Occurrence

Red foxglove ( Digitalis purpurea )

The glycoside from the group of saponins (steroid saponins ) occurs in the seeds of the foxglove Digitalis purpurea .

Structure and properties

The steroid digitogenin is the aglycon , which is linked to five sugar residues . Like most saponins , digitonin is also poisonous; it causes the red blood cells to break down by destroying the cell membrane ( hemolysis ).

use

Digitonin is a mild nonionic surfactant . It is used in biochemistry for the solubilization of membrane proteins , for the permeabilization of cell membranes and for the precipitation of cholesterol . Cholesterol can still be detected through precipitation with digitonin in a dilution of 1: 10,000.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Data sheet Digitonin from Sigma-Aldrich , accessed on March 25, 2011 ( PDF ).
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Entry on steroid saponins. In: Römpp Online . Georg Thieme Verlag, accessed on June 15, 2014.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Entry on Digitonin in the GESTIS substance database of the IFA , accessed on February 10, 2017(JavaScript required) .