van Setten D C, van de Werken G, Zomer G, Kersten G F
Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. 1995;9(8):660-6. doi: 10.1002/rcm.1290090808.
Fifty saponin components of Quil A, a commercially available extract from the bark of the South American tree Quillaja saponaria Molina, were partially structurally characterised. The molecular weights were determined by fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry. The glycosyl and elemental composition of all the saponins was determined by applying our recently developed method, monomer mapping, consisting of a computer program and accurate mass measurements. Support for the presumed identity of the aglycone, i.e. quillaic acid, was found in the accurate mass determination, 1H NMR measurement and chemical reactions. The saponin composition of Quil A was shown to consist of pairs. Within the 3-O bound glycosyl moiety of a pair there was a structural difference: a pentose and rhamnose were interchanged. Structural differences between different pairs were located in the 28-O bound glycosyl moiety. A structural element, unknown to date and of which the elemental composition was deduced to be C8H12O5, was found in the 28-O bound glycosyl moiety of several saponins.
皂树醇提取物（Quil A）是从南美皂树（Quillaja saponaria Molina）树皮中提取的一种市售提取物，对其50种皂苷成分进行了部分结构表征。通过快原子轰击质谱法测定分子量。应用我们最近开发的单体图谱法（由一个计算机程序和精确质量测量组成）测定了所有皂苷的糖基和元素组成。在精确质量测定、1H NMR测量和化学反应中发现了对苷元（即皂树酸）假定身份的支持。结果表明，Quil A的皂苷成分由成对的皂苷组成。在一对皂苷的3-O连接糖基部分存在结构差异：戊糖和鼠李糖互换。不同对之间的结构差异位于28-O连接糖基部分。在几种皂苷的28-O连接糖基部分发现了一种迄今未知的结构元素，据推断其元素组成为C8H12O5。
