A Methanol-Free Method of Extracting Secondary Chemicals

 

Jordan P. Sarver, Lawrence S. Blumer & Marius K. Denton

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2008, Volume 29

Abstract

This experiment examined the inducible responses of tobacco. Leaf toxicity was assessed by a brine shrimp bioassay. A new method of extraction was used in this bioassay. Previously, secondary chemical were extracted from tobacco leaves using methanol. Our new method used a boiling 1% NaCl solution for secondary chemical extraction. This experiment was a test of this new methanol-free extraction method. Three concentrations of extracted secondary chemicals were evaluated by using volumes of boiling 1% NaCl extracts ranging from 1ml to 3ml. This new method is both safer and quicker than methanol extraction, and yielded very robust bioassay results.

Keywords:  bioassay, plant-herbivore, plant toxin

University of Kentucky (2007)