Isolation, Characterization and Derivatization of Some Bioactive Components in Moringa Oleifera Leaves

Abstract

Moringa oleifera is an important multipurpose tropical tree not yet fully investigated for its medicinal and therapeutic properties which informed the objective for this research work. The M. oleifera n-hexane leaves extract yielded a solid substance that was re-crystallized several times to obtain a relatively pure compound which was subsequently derivatized. The FTIR data of the solid substance indicated that the substance is an aliphatic alc. Consequently, it was derivatized to an ester, an aldehyde and a carboxylic acid.