Publication:

Characterization of some compounds isolated from Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) leaf extract

Background For thousands of years, several people depend on traditional medicines from flowers, bark, leaves and fruits of plants. Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is a medicinal herb which belongs to the family of Labiatae and it is the most abundant of the genus Ocimum. The present study aimed to isolate pure compounds from chloroform/methanol (1:1) crude extract of the leaves of O. basilicum herb and characterize them using infra-red (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic techniques.

Methods The sample of powdered leaves of O. basilicum was extracted using a mixture of chloroform and methanol (1:1) and the crude extract was investigated for its chemical composition using spectroscopic techniques.

Results Only one fraction designated as O. basilicum -14 (OB-14) displayed a single spot on TLC plate. Results showed that two isomeric compounds named (1-(2-vinylcyclohexa-1,4-dienyl) propan-2-ol and 2-(2-vinylcyclohexa-1,5-dienyl) propan-1-ol) were isolated as a mixtures using column chromatography over silica gel. The structures of these compounds were identified using IR and one dimensional NMR spectroscopic techniques such as proton NMR (1H NMR), carbon-13 NMR (13C NMR) and distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer (DEPT).

Conclusions So, more compounds can be isolated from the plant using different chromatographic techniques.