1 ri the course of screening hundreds of plant samples for steroidal sapogenins, it became imperative to find a procedure that would rapidly detect and estimate these compounds. 1 literature search indicated that a rapid and specific procedure was not available. It was found that a negative hemolytic test on alcoholic plant extracts was definite proof of the absence of steroidal saponins. Samples giving positive hemolytic tests were acid hydrolyzed and acetylated, yielding a crude residue. Steroidal sapogenins coiild he detected, and the quantity present estimated from the highly specific infrared absorption spectra of all sapogenins. By this procedure, a large number of plant samples (40 to 50 by tw-o workers in a 40-hour week) can be screened rapidly for steroidal sapogenins. Consequently, the rcarch for these valuable precursors for cortisone and sex hormones has been conducted at a great]?iricrcased rate.S RECEKT years steroidal sapogenins have attracted con-