indican Chem.
(ˈɪndɪkən)
[Named by Schunck 1855, from indic-um + -an I. 2: see alloxan.]
The natural glucoside (C26H31NO17) formed in plants which yield indigo, by the decomposition of which indigo-blue is produced; it forms a light-brown syrup, of bitter taste, and slightly acid reaction. b. indican of urine: an incorrect name for the potassium salt of indoxyl sulphuric acid, a normal constituent of the urine of animals. Also called uroxanthin.
| 1859 T. A. Carter in Edin. Med. Jrnl. Aug. 119 (title) On Indican in the Blood and Urine. Ibid. 121 On treating indican with the mineral acid, he [Schunck] found that it was resolved into blue indigo, ‘indirubine’, ‘indifuscine’, and a peculiar kind of sugar. 1866 Odling Anim. Chem. 122 Human urine..contains habitually an indigo-yielding substance known as indican, which is probably a glucoside of white or hydrogenised indigo. 1874 Schorlemmer Organ. Chem. 462. 1878 Foster Phys. (1884) 768 The indican obtained from urine is not a glucoside. 1889 Morley & Muir Dict. Chem. II. 759/2 Indican by heating with dilute acids is resolved into indigo and indiglucin (a sugar). Simultaneously are formed indirubin C16H10N2O2, indiretin C18H17NO5 (dark-brown resin, sol. alcohol), indifulvin (reddish-yellow resin, insol. alk.), indihumin C10H9NO3 (brown powder, insol. water and alcohol, sol. alk.), indifuscin C24H20N2O9 (analogous to indihumin). |
Hence indicanine (ˈɪndɪkənaɪn), Chem.: see quot.; indicaˈnuria, Path. presence of indican in excess in the urine.
| 1865–72 Watts Dict. Chem. III. 248 Indicanin, C20H23NO12..is produced, together with indiglucin, by the action of aqueous alkalis..on indican. Indicanin is a yellow or brown bitter syrup, soluble in water, alcohol, and ether. 1889 Morley & Muir II. 759/2 Indicanine. 1897 Allbutt's Syst. Med. IV. 200 We occasionally meet with indicanuria. |