Description and references
Fixed oil expressed from seeds of Croton
tiglium L., Euphorbiaceae. Constit. Croton resin;
glycerides of stearic, palmitic, myristic, lauric, tiglic, etc. acids;
crotin; phorbol esters, q.v. Review: Hecker, Schmidt, Fortschr.
Chem. Org. Naturst. 31, 377 (1974).
Properties
Pale-yellow or brownish-yellow, rather viscid
liq; slight disagreeable odor. Poisonous. d2525 0.935-0.950. nD40 1.470-1.473. Sapon
no. 205-220. Iodine no. 102-118. Slightly sol in alcohol, increasing
with age. Freely sol in chloroform, ether, oils, petr ether, carbon
disulfide, glacial acetic acid. Keep well
closed and protected from light.Caution
Potential symptom of overexposure
is hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. Direct contact may cause vesiculation,
necrosis and sloughing of skin. See Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products, R. E. Gosselin et al., Eds. (William & Wilkins, Baltimore, 5th ed., 1984)
Section II, p. 228.Use
Has been used as an irritant and cocarcinogen in
cancer research.
Therapeutic Category
Cathartic, counterirritant.
Therapeutic Category (Veterinary)
Formerly used as a counterirritant and
a purgative.