Chemical investigation of ceylonese plants. Part XXIX. A survey of plants of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) for alkaloids I

Four hundred and sixty-four Sri Lanka plant species, including 170 endemic species, were screened for the occurrence of alkaloids. The plants represented 314 genera and 96 families, of which 49 were tropical families. Extractions were carried out by three different procedures, and the presence of alkaloids was determined by Mayer's test. Tlc of the crude extracts furnished the approximate number of alkaloids. Ninety-one species, inclusive of 27 endemic species, gave a positive Mayer's test. By means of tlc, 417 species were tested with Dragendorff's reagent, and 137 were found to be positive. Of the 214 species tested with iodoplatinate reagent, 89 gave a positive response. Of the alkaloid-containing species, 128, distributed among 42 families, had not been previously reported in the literature, to the best of our knowledge. These included 59 endemic species distributed among 25 families.