Isolation and Structural Studies on the Chemical Constituents of some Indigenous Flowering Plants

Abstract

In the third and final year of the project work was continued on the isolation and characterization of the chemical constituents of the following plants: 1. Prosopis Juliflora. 2. Nepeta hindostana. 3. Euphorbia granulata. Several new alkaloids from the plant Prosopis Juliflora were isolated and studies on their structures were carried out. The alkaloids were also tested for their antimicrobial activity. It has been found that the alkaloids inhibit the growth of pathogenic fungi and gram-positive bacteria. The studies on the plant Nepeta Hindostana led to the isolation of a number of triterpenes. Its waxy material was studied in greater detail with help of gas chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy. The structures of new triterpenes have been proposed. The work on the plant Euphorbia Granulata resulted in the isolation of gallic acid and triterpenes with the help of spectroscopic studies, lupeol, taraxasterol, lupeol acetate. Traxasterol acetate, β-sitosterol were identified.