Aesculin

• Esculetin 6-O- (-D - glucosyl )
• Esculin
• Esculin
• Schiller material

Fixed

0.79 g · cm -3 ( 20 ° C)

~ 215 ° C

Moderately in water ( 74 g · l-1 at 95 ° C)

Template: Infobox chemical / molecular formula search available

Esculin is a glucoside, which of course in the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) occurs; it is also found in daphnin, the dark green resin of the commons daphne ( Daphne mezereum ).

Aesculin one of the 6,7- Dihydroxycumarinen and is found in the bark and seeds of the horse chestnut tree. Like other coumarins the substance fluoresces under ultraviolet light (eg 366 nm) in the color blue. About this sonnenlichtbestahlten fluorescence in aqueous extracts of horse chestnut bark is reported in the 19th century. This effect is examined by the German chemist Paul krais (1866-1939), by offset wool and flax with esculin -containing extracts of horse chestnut and achieved an optical brightening.

Use

Aesculin used in microbiology for the identification of certain bacteria, in particular enterococci. Enterococci have the ability to hydrolyze aesculin to glucose and esculetin. In the presence of iron ( III) ions the esculetin forms an olive to black complex. This proof is called Äskulinspaltung or Esculinhydrolyse.