Amygdalin is a glycoside initially isolated from the seeds of the tree Prunus dulcis, also known as bitter almonds. Several other related species in the genus of Prunus, including apricot and black cherry also contain amygdalin. Since the early 1950s, both amygdalin and a modified form named laetrile or Vitamin B17 have been promoted as cancer cures. However, neither of these compounds nor any other derivatives are vitamins in any sense, and studies have found them to be clinically ineffective in the treatment of cancer, as well as dangerously toxic. They are potentially lethal when taken by mouth, because certain enzymes (in particular, glucosidases that occur in the gut and in various kinds of seeds, edible or inedible) act on them to produce cyanide. The promotion of laetrile to treat cancer has been described in the medical literature as a canonical example of quackery, and as "the slickest, most sophisticated, and certainly the most remunerative cancer quack promotion in medical history." Amygdalin is extracted from almonds or apricot kernels by boiling in ethanol; on evaporation of the solution and the addition of diethyl ether, amygdalin is precipitated as white minute crystals.
MedKoo Cat#: 600107
Name: Amygdalin
CAS#: 29883-15-6
Chemical Formula: C20H27NO11
Exact Mass: 457.1584
Molecular Weight: 457.43
Elemental Analysis: C, 52.51; H, 5.95; N, 3.06; O, 38.47
The following data is based on the product molecular weight 457.43 Batch specific molecular weights may vary from batch to batch due to the degree of hydration, which will affect the solvent volumes required to prepare stock solutions.
| Concentration / Solvent Volume / Mass | 1 mg | 5 mg | 10 mg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mM | 1.15 mL | 5.76 mL | 11.51 mL |
| 5 mM | 0.23 mL | 1.15 mL | 2.3 mL |
| 10 mM | 0.12 mL | 0.58 mL | 1.15 mL |
| 50 mM | 0.02 mL | 0.12 mL | 0.23 mL |
