Hey everyone,
I'm working with fenugreek seeds extracts and according to literature, what I've observed is methanol 80% crude extract usually gives higher TPC value compare to ethanol 80% crude extract in various plant crude extracts. Can anyone explain why? polarity of ethanol and methanol is fairly equal.
(1) Boiling point of ethanol is 78oC and that of methanol is 64oC.
(2) Phenolic compounds are in general prone to decomposition.
(3) I assume that your process of extraction is under refluxing condition.
Now, request you to kindly check whether any decomposition of phenolic compounds is taking place during the process of extraction.
Hello.
The most important mechanism behind the dissolution of phenol in alcohols is proposed to be the formation of H bonds between the OH of the phenol and alcohol (see for example the article in the link bellow). Furthermore, there appears to be a poor correlation with the polarity of the solvents. A simple explanation in your case is that, with the same mass fractions (or volumetric fractions) of ethanol and methanol in your solvent, there are many more methanol molecules available to establish such bonds with the phenols, thus increasing their extraction.
Article A Knowledge Base for The Recovery of Natural Phenols with Di...
Cheers!
For the following reasons, methanol is better:
1- Ethanol is soluble in miscible in water but methanol is soluble and not absorb
moisture.
2- methanol has high dissolution with high resolution.
3- Methanol is high extractability.
4- Wide range of compounds with different polarity could be extracted ( non-polar
to polar).
Methanol has high resolution,dissolution and extraction wide range of compounds than ethanol in addition to it’ miscibility in water
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