CHARACTERISTICS OF METHANOL EXTRACTIVES FROM CHENGAL WOOD AND THEIR ANTIFUNGAL PROPERTIES

Chengal (Neobalanocarpus heimii) is a tropical woods with great durabi lity. To clarify the antifungal wood components, wood meals of chengal were extracted with n-hexane, ether, and methanol, successively. The yields of extractives were 1.3%, 14.8%, and 13.5%, respectively. From the results of antifungal activity tests, the methanol extractives wer e shown to have the greatest antifungal activity among these extractiv es. The methanol extractives were fractionated by column chromatograph y using a Sephadex LH-20, and six fractions were obtained. After exami nation of their antifungal activities, Fraction No. 3 was shown to hav e the greatest antifungal activity among six fractions. This fraction contained a relatively large amount of tannin. It gave gallic acid, el lagic acid, and glucose after acid-hydrolysis. We presumed that the an tifungal wood component of chengal is mainly hydrolyzable tannin.