Chromatography Of Lycopene

Register to read the introduction… A small burette funnel was filled with column packing solvent at mobile phase, high boiling petroleum, in this case hexane (and then 10%acetone hexane mixture), and Alumina as stationary phase. When adding the sand and the alumina they have to be first mixed with the hexanes in order not to disturb the column. The Lycopene is Red- Orange and more attracted to alumina due to its high degree of Unsaturation, which can be expected to be eluted after Yellow-Orange Carotene pigments. And the other pigments such as Xanthophylls, which are more polar due to their hydroxyl group, are strongly attracted to Alumina, which would be eluted after Lycopene band. The column should be covered by aluminum foil to prevent Isomerisation of Lycopene by light.

A clear orange layer of Lycopene band formed at the beginning of the separation; however there were not enough pigments for collection. The band became more blurred when it reached the bottom. This was due to small amount of pigment obtained during filtration after drying.
Iodine was added after examining the Lycopene sample using UV spectrum which was to Isomerise the Lycopene sample to mixture of both cis and trans Isomers. This solution was then …show more content…
The reagent phenylmagnesium bromide is then added with benzophenone and a magnesium salt precipitate forms. Finally the salt is converted into triphenylmethanol by adding water, and acid is added to dissolve any basic product. Grignard Reagents are also used in the following important reactions: Grignard reagent can be added in excess to an ester or lactone to give a tertiary alcohol in which two alkyl groups are the same, and the addition of a Grignard reagent to a nitrile produces an unsymmetrical ketone via a metalloimine