FOURIER-TRANSFORM INFRARED SPECTROSCOPIC CHARACTERISATION OF THE DIFFERENT FRACTIONS FROM Anthocleista vogelii PLANCH LEAF EXTRACTS

Medicinal plants are used to treat and prevent ailments largely due to the presence of phytochemicals in them. This study was aimed at identifying the phytochemicals present in the leaf of Anthoclestia vogelii using established methods. The air-dried leaves were pulverized and One kilogram of the sample was extracted in absolute methanol for seventy two hours. The concentrated extract weighs 271.25 g. The crude extract (7.0 g) was loaded on a silica gel packed column using gradient elution of n-hexane (100%), ethyl acetate-methanol (50:50) and methanol (100%). Characterisation of the fractions was done using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Phytochemical screening of the lyophilized brown viscous methanol extract of A. vogelii shows the presence of tannins, saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids, and phenols. The fractionated and purified crude extract of A. vogelii with n-hexane, ethyl acetate-methanol and methanol yielded 1.75, 0.32 and 0.84 g labeled as X, Y and Z respectively. The FT-IR spectra revealed prominent absorption bands at 2855 – 2955, 1714, 1461 and 1379-1006 cm-1 in Fraction X, while 3321, 2885 – 2970, 1647, 1326 – 1449 and 1043 cm-1 in Fraction Y, and 3321, 2829 – 2981, 1416 – 1446, 1110 cm-1 in Fraction Z. The absorption bands suggested the presence of C=C bearing phytochemicals in Y, –OH bearing phytochemicals in Y and Z while C=O bearing phytochemicals in Fractions X.