Purification and Fractionation Strategies for Natural Products

This book provides a concise yet comprehensive guide to the extraction and separation of phytoconstituents, essential for students and researchers in pharmaceutical sciences and phytochemistry.Part 1 discusses various extraction methods, beginning with solvent properties, selection, and factors affecting extraction. It explains the mechanism of extraction and classical methods like decoction, maceration, percolation, and Soxhlet extraction, followed by essential oil extraction techniques such as distillation, expression, and enfleurage. Advanced techniques like phytonics, pressurized liquid extraction, pulsed electric field, ultrasound-assisted, microwave-assisted, and supercritical fluid extraction are also covered.Part 2 focuses on separation and purification, detailing liquid-liquid fractionation and chromatographic techniques such as column chromatography, TLC, HPLC, and VLC. It also includes purification by crystallization, distillation, sublimation, and advanced methods like flash chromatography and preparative HPLC. The book concludes with quality control of medicinal plants, offering a holistic approach from extraction to standardization.