588. Occurrence and Composition.—The tannins and allied bodies, which are of importance in this connection, are those which occur in food products and beverages and also those made use of in the leather industry. The term tannin is applied to a large class of astringent substances, many of which are glucosids. Tannic acid is the chief constituent of the tannins, and is found in a state of comparative purity in nutgalls. The source from which the tannic acid is derived is indicated by a prefix to the name, e. g., gallotannic, from nutgalls, and caffetannic, from coffee etc. The tannins have lately been the theme of a critical study by Trimble, and the reader is referred to his work for an exhaustive study of the subject.[606] Tannin is one of the most widely diffused compounds, occurring in hundreds of plants. Commercially, the oaks and hemlocks are the most important plants containing tannin. The sumach, mangrove, canaigre, palmetto and many others have also been utilized as commercial sources of tannin. The tannins as a class are amorphous and odorless. They are slightly acid and strongly astringent. Their colors vary from dark brown to pure white. They are soluble in water, alcohol, ether and glycerol and insoluble in chloroform, benzol, petroleum ether, carbon bisulfid and the oils. The tannins give blue or green precipitates with iron salts and most of them brown precipitates with potassium bichromate. They are all precipitated by gelatin or albumin. Tannins are not only generally of a glucosidal nature, but are found quite constantly associated with reducing sugars, or in unstable combination therewith.
The reducing sugars may be separated from the tannin by precipitating the latter with lead acetate and determining the glucose in the filtrate after the removal of the lead. A separate portion of the tannin is hydrolyzed with sulfuric or hydrochloric acid and the reducing sugars again determined. Any excess of sugars over the first determination is due to the hydrolysis of the tannin glucosid.
589. Detection and Estimation of Tannins.—The qualitive reactions above mentioned serve to detect the presence of a tannin. Of the iron salts ferric acetate or chlorid is preferred. Ferrous salts do not give any reaction with dilute tannin solutions. An ammoniacal solution of potassium ferricyanid forms with tannins a deep red color changing to brown. In quantitive work the tannins are mostly determined by precipitation with metallic salts, by treatment with gelatin or hide powder, or by oxidation with potassium permanganate. Directions for the estimation of glucosids in general are found in Dragendorff’s book.[607]
590. Precipitation with Metallic Salts.—The methods depending on precipitation of the tannins with metallic salts are but little used and only one of them will be mentioned here. A full description of the others is contained in Trimble’s book.[608] A method for the determination of caffetannic acid in coffee has been worked out by Krug and used with some satisfaction.[609]
In this method two grams of the coffee meal are digested for thirty-six hours with ten cubic centimeters of water, a little more than twice that volume of ninety-five per cent alcohol added and the digestion continued for a day. The contents of the flask are poured on a filter and the residue washed with alcohol. The filtrate contains tannin, caffetannic acid and traces of coloring matter and fat. It is heated to the boiling point and clarified with a solution of lead acetate. A caffetannate of lead containing forty-nine per cent of the metal is precipitated. As soon as the precipitate has become flocculent it is collected on a filter, washed with ninety per cent alcohol until the soluble lead salts are all removed, then with ether and dried. The composition of the precipitate is represented by the formula Pb₃(C₁₅H₁₅O₈)₂. The caffetannic acid is calculated by the equation: Weight of precipitate: weight of caffetannic acid = 1267: 652.
591. The Gelatin Method.—The precipitation of tannin with gelatin is the basis of a process for its quantitive estimation which, according to Trimble, is conducted as follows:[610] Two and a half grams of gelatin and ten grams of alum are dissolved in water and the volume of the solution made up to one liter. The solution of gelatin and also that of the tannin are heated to 70° and the tannin is precipitated by adding the gelatin reagent slowly, with constant stirring, until the precipitate coagulates, and, on settling, leaves a clear liquor in which no further precipitate is produced on adding a few drops more of the reagent. In case the clearing of the mixture do not take place readily, the process should be repeated with a more dilute tannin solution. The precipitate is collected on two counterpoised filter papers one placed inside the other, dried at 110° and weighed, the empty filter paper being placed on the pan with the weights. For pure tannin (gallotannic acid) fifty-four per cent of the weight of the precipitate are tannin. Ammonium chlorid and common salt have been used in place of the alum in preparing the reagent, but if the proportion of alum mentioned above be used, satisfactory results will be obtained in most cases.
592. The Hide Powder Method.—The principle of this method is based on the change in specific gravity, i. e., total solids, which a tannin solution will undergo when brought into contact with raw hides in a state of fine subdivision. The hide powder absorbs the tannin, and the total solid content of the solution is correspondingly diminished. The method is conducted according to the official directions as follows:[611]
Preparation of the Sample.—The bark, wood, leaves or other materials holding the tannins, are dried and ground to a fine powder and thoroughly extracted with water as mentioned below. In each case the solution or extraction is made as thorough as possible and the volume of the extract is made up to a definite amount.
Quantity of Tanning Material.—Use such an amount of the tanning material as shall give in 100 cubic centimeters of the filtered solution about one gram of dry solids. In the case of barks, woods, leaves and similar materials, transfer to a half liter flask, fill the flask with water at approximately 80° and let stand over night in a bath which is kept at 80°, cool, fill to the mark, shake well and filter. In the case of extracts and sweet liquors, wash the proper quantity into a half liter flask with water at approximately 80°, almost filling the flask, cool and fill to the mark.
Determination of Moisture.—Dry five grams of the sample in a flat bottom dish at the temperature of boiling water until the weight becomes constant.