Classification and Isolation of Alkaloids
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Praveen T MClassification and Isolation of Alkaloids
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Praveen T MNatural products
A Natural product is a chemical substance or
compound produced by a living organism that
found in nature in broadest sense, natural
products include any substance produced by
life.
ALKALOID
The term alkaloids was firstSintroduced by W. Meissner in
1819.
Classification of alkaloids
A. Taxonomical:- The classification is based on the plant
family. Thus, alkaloids may be described as Solanaceous or
Papilionaceous without refrence to the chemical type of
alkaloid present. EX:- Solanaceaetropane, steroidal;
papilionaceae quinolizidine and pyrrolizidine.
B.
Pharmacological:- This classification of alkaloids
according to their use or physiological activity. Exanalgesic alkaloids, cardioactive alkaloids
C. Biosynthetic:- This method of classification is based on the
type of precursors or building block compounds used by plant
to synthesize complex structure. Hundreds of Indole alkaloids
are known all are derived from the amino acid tryptophan and
mevalonic acid, as are the Ergot and Cinchona alkaloids.
Similarly , morphine, papaverine, narcotine are phenylalanine
tyrosine derived molecules.
D. Chemical:- The chemical classification is universally adopted
and depends on the fundamental ring structure present in the
alkaloids. Thus quinine is regarded as a quinoline type ,
papaverine and isoquinoline. Morphine which is regarded as a
phenanthrene derivative is included in quinolines.
On the basis of chemical classification
1. Phenylethylamine alkaloids
2. Pyrroline alkaloids
3. Pyridine or piperidine alkaloids
4. Pyridine-pyrrolidine alkaloids
5. Tropane alkaloids
6. Quinoline alkaloids
7. Isoquinoline alkaloids
8. Phenantherene alkaloids
9. Indole alkaloids
10. Tropolone alkaloids
Isolation of Alkaloids
Isolation and purification of an alkaloids from a plant is always not
a simple process because an alkaloid bearing plant generally
contains a complex mixture of several alkaloids.
a) First to detect the presence of alkaloids in the plant
The detection of alkaloids in the plants are carried out by using
several reagent those reagents are called alkaloid reagents.
Ex:-Mayers reagent (potassium mercuric iodide)
Drogendorffs reagent (potassium bismuth iodide)
Wagners reagent (iodine dissolved in KI)
Hagers reagent (saturated solutions of picric acid in water)
some of the precipitating agents like Chloroplatinic
(H2PtCl6) and Chloroauric (HAuCl4) are used to detection of
alkaloids in very small amount by precipitation and these
precipitate are having characteristic colour etc
b) The separation of relatively small percentage (dry weight
basis) of alkaloids from large amount of extraneous plant
material. Ex:- opium contains 10% morphine, Cinhona 5-8%
quinine, Atropa belladonna 0.2% hysocyamine and Rauwolfia
serpentina root 0.1 to 0.2% reserpine.
c) Separation and purification of individual alkaloids from the
crude extract.
There are three general methods are used for isolation of
alkaloids. The alkaloids are shows properties of simple salts
and many alkaloids are water soluble but much less soluble in
organic solvents, where as reversible is true for free bases.
Method-1 employs water immiscible solvent such as chloroform ,
ether, methylene chloride for extraction.
Method-2 employs watee missible solvents
Method-3 involves the use of acidulated water or alcohal.
Disadvantages of method-1
