Plant Growth Regulating Properties of Some Acetone Condensation Products

Abstract

DURING chromatographic purification of plant hormones extracted with acetone, we noted that a mixture of self-condensation products of acetone formed when this solvent was subsequently used to extract silica gel or aluminium oxide removed from thin-layer plates. These products of acetone were also obtained by simply combining acetone with silica gel H or with aluminium oxide G powder and stirring the mixture for a short time. The silica gel or aluminium oxide was separated by centrifugation and the acetone was evaporated to obtain the condensation products. When one 5 g sample of the silical gel was subjected repeatedly to acetone (eight 25 ml. aliquots), we obtained the following amounts of condensation products: 300, 410, 330, 380, 550, 510, 430 and 480 µg. We believe that self-condensation of acetone had occurred, for the weight of the material obtained did not decrease when the silica gel was exposed repeatedly to fresh aliquots of acetone.