Natural Product Extraction

Mike Dappolone – Cohort 8

8/6/2007

Natural Product Extraction

References

Experimental Organic Chemistry: A Miniscale and Microscale Approach

By Gilbert and Martin, Section 148-149

Chemistry 502 Laboratory Manual, By Dr. William Dailey, pp. 33-34

2. Introduction

The purpose of this investigation is to extract the natural compound trimyristin, also called glyceryl trimyristate, from the spice nutmeg. Trimyristin is a trimester of glycerol and the fatty acid myristic acid. It will be extracted under reflux by combining nutmeg with diethyl ether, filtered to remove solid impurities, and collected by rotary evaporator. A melting point will be determined to give an indication of the purity of the sample.

Table of Reagents

| |Compound |Structure/Formula |MW |Properties |

| | | |(g/mol) | |

|1 |Trimyristin |[pic] |723.17 |Density: 0.885 g/cm3 |

| |(nutmeg extract) | | |Melting point: 56-57o C |

|2 |Diethyl ether |[pic] |74.12 |Density: 0.71 g/cm3 |

| | | | |Characteristic odor |

| | | | |Flammable |

3. Synopsis of and Notes on Experimental Procedure – Results

Procedure: A reflux apparatus was setup up according to the instructor’s direction. Approximately 4 g of ground nutmeg was combined in a 100 mL...