The isolation and detection of alkaloid from the plant seed of Cassia occidentalis from leguminoceae family was carried out using solvent extraction process. The dried powered seed was soaked in a sample bottle using 1, 1- dichloromethane. After 3 days of occasional shaking, it was filtered, and the crude alkaloid was extracted using batch method.
Purification process of the crude alkaloid was not carried out. Thin layers chromatographic separation process was also not carried out. The crude alkaloid extracted from the seed of the plant was used.
The test for alkaloid was carried out using Drangendorff’s reagent, Mayer’s reagent and Wagner and Lugol’s reagent. The following reagent shows a positive test. Dragendorff’s reagent yield a Reddish-brown precipitation, Mayer’s reagent yields a cream precipitate, while Wagner’s and Lugol’s reagent yields a Reddish-brown precipitate.
The presence of these precipitates indicates the presence of alkaloid in the seed of cassia occidentalis.
Alkaloids are larger groups of basic organic substance of natural origin usually plant which contains carbon, hydrogen and one or more nitrogen atoms. The nitrogen content is usually present in a heterocyclic ring such as in pyrrole, pyridine, pyrrolidine, quinoline or isoquinoline. It can be naturally occurring compounds containing basic nitrogen atoms (Finar I.L 2007).
According to Rogers M. F and Wink M. (1998), alkaloids are specific class of chemical compound found in plants and occasionally animals. Many have long historics as poison, narcotics hallucinogens and medicinal agents.
Generally, alkaloids are basic alkaline substances which can neutralizes acids. The basicity of alkaloids depends on lone pairs of electrons on their nitrogen atom thus forming salts with mineral acids such as HCL and H2SO4 and organic acids such as tartaric acid or malic acid. Alkaloids must be a product of plant or animal metabolism and must contain at least one nitrogen atoms that can be active as a base in acid-base reaction. Alkaloids could be classified either by the biological system in which they occur or by their chemical structure.
Hesse M. (2005), Said that most alkaloids contain oxygen but occasionally as in nicotine, this element is absence such oxygen free compounds are usually volatile. They vary widely in properties from one substance to the other. Some are relatively simple with a few as five carbon eg. xanthine, solamine is complicated with as many as 44 carbon atoms. Many compounds, although may fit some definition of alkaloids which are excluded from the group because. It can simply be done practically. Purines, pyridine, pyrazine, vitamins, antibiotics and amino sugar are all excluded.
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