EXTRACTION

DEFINITION:
Separation of soluble active principle(s) from the crude
drugs (plants or animal) using appropriate solvent(s).

Types of extraction:
1. Solid-liquid Extraction: Also known as
Leaching, including TWO processes:
a. Maceration
b. Percolation
2. Liquid-liquid Extraction: Also known as Counter-
Current Extraction
 EXTRACTION-----contd.

Other methods are also used----------as:

Direct Expression for Fixed oils.
Distillation for volatile oils.
Note:
Mostly synthetic drugs have replaced natural drugs. How ever,
some drugs belonging to Alkaloids, Glycosides, Volatile oils,
Proteins & Polypeptides are still used and obtained by
Extraction.
 EXTRACTION-----contd.

Need for the separation of active principles:

 Potency:
Potency of the drug may be known and is
more readily controlled.
 Deterioration:
Deterioration by enzyme(s) is
diminished/minimized.
 Formulation:
Drug can easily be formulated into required
dosage form.
It can be more stable, palatable & elegant.
 Tablet: Can not be manufactured from crude drugs.
 EXTRACTION-----contd.

 Injectible:

It is very dangerous to manufacture

injections from crude drugs, so undesirable.

 Bulk (vol/amt.):

Smaller bulk can easily be

controlled/shipped and so reduces the cost of the
drug.
 EXTRACTION-----contd.

GALENICALS:

When all possible ingredients present in crude drug are

required, then the extraction may be done in the form
of:

Dry Extract, Viscous soft extract, Infusion,

Concentrated Infusions or Tinctures. These crude Extracts are
known as “GALENICALS.”
 EXTRACTION-----contd.

FACTORS AFFECTING THE EFFICIENCY OF

LEACHING PROCESS:
A. 1. Pretreatment of Raw material and
2. Mechanism of Leaching:

1. Pretreatment of Raw material:

 Location of Active Principle:

If drug is located in epidermis, simple bruising is required.
 Nature of the texture:
Soft, hard, very hard, resinous, oleo gum, oleo gum resin-------
--etc. So , requiring different treatments.
 Swelling Capability:
By moistening/imbibing some drugs are less swelling and
some are more swelling.
 Factors Effecting-----contd.

2. Mechanism of Leaching:
 Diffusion:
Mostly the active principles are extracted by diffusion.
 Capillary action:
It takes place e.g. during shaking of Soya bean oil extraction and
depends upon:
a) Surface Tension, Density and viscosity of the solvent.
b) Hydrostatic Pressure.
c) Particle size and particle cohesion.
d) Convection current.
 Permeability of the cell wall.
 Factors Effecting-----contd.

 Ultrasonic treatment:

 Decreases the Interfacial tension and increases the

movement of active principle(s).

 Increases Interfacial area by decreasing particle size.

 Increases rate of dispersion of active principle away

from Interface to the bulk of the solvent.
 Factors Effecting-----contd.

B. Particle size distribution:

 Particle size should be narrow to have high porosity so

that solvent may ingress and pass through the packed
crude drug.
 Factors Effecting-----contd.

B. Particle size distribution--------contd.

 Smaller particles have large surface area increasing
contact of the solvent and so increasing solubility.
However, fine particles may fill the voids/gapes
present amongst the packed larger particles.
 Factors Effecting-----contd.

C . Nature of solvent: Ideally should be:

 Selective-------- to avoid undesirable extraction but not
possible.
--------to avoid extraction of gum material e.g.
by concentrated alcohol.
 Enzymatic deterioration ---in aqueous extract. May be
prevented to some extent by adding25% alcohol.
 Microbial growth -------, in aqueous extract may be
prevented by adding alcohol; or chloroform water.
 Plenty and cheap
 Have low specific heat--------- be removed easily.
 Factors Effecting-----contd.

C. Nature of solvent--------contd.

 Addition of certain surfactant------------ to facilitate

extraction of alkaloids.
 Non-inflammable
 Have low viscosity-------------- to enhance leaching.
 Non-toxic------------ if it is to be present in the final
preparation.
 Factors Effecting-----contd.

D. Temperature:
High temperature increases solubility of active
principle
but can only be used in the extraction of
“THERMO STABLE” active principles and it works
through:
 Increased rate of diffusion.
 Better solubility of the active principle(s).
 Stronger convection current.
 By the loss of cell wall and cell membrane.
 Factors Effecting-----contd.

D. Temperature-------contd.

Note: High temperature can not be used for:

 Thermo labile active principle(s).
 Volatile substances. AND
 To avoid increased extraction of unwanted
constituents.
 Some Important Points/Definitions.

Hot solvent is used both in:

 Maceration and
 percolation processes.
 Selection of solvent should be done carefully in order to:
 have maximum extraction and
 avoid undue destruction of active principle(s).
 Use of hot solvent for longer period of time because:
Extraction of certain drugs like Fixed oils, Alkaloids---
etc. requires this treatment due to:
 Less penetration of solvent into cellular structure.
 Poor solubility of active principles in solvents like
CH3OH, CHCl3, Acetone ----- etc.
 Some Important Points/Definitions----contd.

DIGESTION:
In maceration when drug and solvent are
heated
in closed vessels/apparatus, it is known as
“DIGESTION.”

INDUSTRIAL scale Extraction:

When hot solvent is sprayed over the bed of
raw
material, it form the basis for extraction on
“INDUSTRIAL SCALE.”
Some Important Points/Definitions-----contd.

INFUSION:

 It is used to prepare dilute solution of readily soluble

active principle(s).
 It consists of pouring water over the drug. Water may be
cold or hot.
 Drug may be macerated for a short period of time,
maximum up to 15 minutes.
 Drug is occasionally shaken.
 Some Important Points/Definitions-----contd.

DECOCTION:

 Used for thermo stable active principles.

 Drug is boiled for 15 minutes.

 The whole is then cooled, strained and sufficient cold

water is passed through the drug to produce the
required volume.
 CONTINUOUS EXTRACTION
DEFINITION:

With the help of temperature and using special apparatus,

smaller and the same volume of solvent is used again and
again in its purest form for the extraction of active
principle, the process is known as “CONTINUOUS”
extraction.

TYPES:

TWO types are used:

 CONTINUOUS COLD EXTRACTION using “SOXHLET” apparatus.
 CONTINUOUS HOT EXTRACTION.
 CONTINUOUS EXTRACTION---contd.

NOTE:

In both the types, principle of “DISTILLATION” is

exploited.

Vapours of solvent are generated and then condensed to

liquid.

The liquid is then allowed to have a contact with the

packed drug.
CONTINUOUS COLD EXTRACTION
CONTINUOUS HOT EXTRACTION
COMPARISON OF CONTINUOUS EXTRACTION
 FACTORS AFFECTING CHOICE OF
EXTRACTION PROCESS
 Character of Drug:
e.g. location, texture----etc.
 Therapeutic Aspect:
 Therapeutically valuable drugs require complete
extraction. “PERCOLATION” is best choice e.g. Belladonna.
 Less valuable drugs (Lemon & Gentian ; flavours and
bitters) can be extracted by “MACERATION”
 Stability of Drug:
Thermo labile drugs require special choice.
 Cost of Drugs:
 Costly drug like GINGER, complete extraction is done by
PERCOLATION.
 Cheaper drugs by MACERATION.
 Concentration of product:
 Concentrated and semi- concentrated products by PERCOLATION.
 If drug can not be powdered, then Double/Triple Maceration is
preferred.
 IDUSTRIAL/LARGE SCALE EXTRACTION

Large scale Extraction is due to:

 Extensive demand of the drug.

 Problem to handle the extraction process at laboratory level
when more quantity of the drug is required.
 Economic factor.
 Improved efficiency of extraction.
 For the preparation of concentrated products like
concentrated liquid or solid Extract.
 Reduced volume of solvent is used.
 IDUSTRIAL/LARGE SCALE EXTRACTION---contd.

Circulatory Extraction:
It is a MACERATION process. Efficiency of the process is
enhanced by circulating the solvent continuously through
the drug.
Incomplete extraction resulted due to EQUILIBRIUM
problem of the drug and it is normal in MACERATION.
 IDUSTRIAL/LARGE SCALE EXTRACTION---contd.

How ever, problem of equilibrium can be overcome by using

“MULTIPLE STAGE” extraction.

 Other methods used are “ EXTRACTION

BATTERY” methods for industrial scale extraction.
 MACERATION
• Menstruum or Solvent
• Marc ……. Solid Residue

• Solution of drugs also known as Miscella.

• Organized ( Botanically characterized) & Unorganized

( Botanically not characterized).

Examples:
• Barks, Seeds, etc are organized drug.
• Gum , oleo gum etc are unorganized.
 STEPS INVOLVED IN MACERATION

• Particle Size of crude drug(s)…. Appropriate

• Menstruum may be hot, boiled or cold.

• The drug is placed in whole Menstruum in closed vessel & is

shaken for Seven Days.

• The solution of drug is stirred off.

• The marc is pressed in case of Organized Drug and is mixed

with solution of drug. However , volume is not made up.
Reason?
 STEPS INVOLVED IN MACERATION….. Contd.

• The marc is not pressed in Unorganized drugs as whole of

the active principle dissolves and mark is Slime like
( Gummy or Oleo gummy in nature). Volume in this case is
made up.

• Note: “ After expressing & Mixing, the solution of the

drug must be left for some time to become clear.”
 MACERATION….., Contd.

• Maceration process is used: for the-:

a) Preparation of Tinctures from organized and

Unorganized drugs.

b) Preparation of concentrated products including Double &

Triple Macerations.
 PERCOLATION

• The crude drug is placed into column and solvent is

allowed to pass through it till the complete
extraction is accomplished. Tested by certain tests.
 Steps Involved In Percolation
• Appropriate particle size of drug(s).

• Imbibitions / moistening of drug by Menstruum.

• Packing of imbibed drug into column.

• Macerating the packed drug for 24 hrs.

• Collecting the solution of drug.

 TYPES OF PERCOLATOR
• Open Percolator
• Closed Percolator

Selection of Percolator is based on nature and cost of solvent.

 Reserved Percolation…… In this type the first concentrated

portion is reserved.

 The rest of extracted solution is evaporated to viscous

liquids.
 The viscous liquid is then mixed with the 1st reserved
portion.
 TYPES OF PERCOLATOR….. Contd.

• “Continuous Extraction” is also an example of percolation. It includes both

continuous Hot Extraction and so called Continuous Cold Extraction.

Percolation may be:-

a) Simple percolation for Tinctures
b) percolation for concentrated preparations.

• This is used for thermostable active principles by evaporating whole

solution.

• For thermolabile principles, the reserved percolation is used.

• Continuous extraction/percolation.
 LIQUID LIQUID EXTRACTION
(Counter Current Extraction)
Principle:
“ Partition coefficient” of drug between two solvents.

Important Components:

• Higher is the co-efficient more is the extraction.

• Distribution between water and organic solvent depends on the Hydrophilic and
hydrophobic groups of the drug.

• If hydrophilic group is ionizable, then pH plays an important role.

• If ionization constant is high, then separation of Isomers can be accomplished.

• Decrease in Interfacial tension will increase liquid-liquid extraction due to more

interfacial area.
LIQUID LIQUID EXTRACTION….. Contd.

• “Impurities” present between two immiscible liquids

may retard the migration of drug. (This problem of
impurities may be overcome by the addition of Short Chain
alcohols (C6) which replace impurities).

• Removal of impurities increases separation of drugs.

• Separation of BACITRACIN in Butanol from bacterial

growth medium.
LIQUID LIQUID EXTRACTION….. Contd.

• Counter Current extraction is based on Partition Coefficient

Principle.

• For example, in water – Chloroform combination , the drug is

partitioned on the same principle.