EXPERIMENT NO: 07 ANALYSIS OF CASTOR OIL BY CHEMICAL TEST.

 PHARMACOGNOSY AND PHYTOCHEMISTRY – I PRACTICAL

ANALYSIS OF CASTOR OIL BY CHEMICAL TEST.

EXPERIMENT NO.7

Aim: Analysis of Castor oil by chemical tests.

Reference: 1. Mayur R. Bhurat, Md. Rageeb Md. Usman, Sanjay A. Nagdev, Practical Pharmacognosy & Phytochemistry – I, Published by S. Vikas And Company (Medical Publisher) page. No. 26.

2.  Dr. K.R Khandelwal, Textbook of Practical Pharmacognosy, Pubished by Nirali Prakashan, Sixth Edition, page. No. 160.

Requirements:

Apparatus: Test tubes, Beaker, Holder, Burner, Water bath, Tripod stand, Copper gauze, Filter pape etc.

Chemicals: Chloroform, Alcohol, Petroleum ether etc.

Theory:

Biological Source: Castor oil is the fixed oil obtained by cold expression from the seeds of Ricinus communis L.

Family: Euphorbiaceae.

Description:

Color: Colorless to faint yellow.

Odor: Faint.

Taste: Acrid and nauseating.

Nature: Viscid liquid.

Solubility: It is insoluble in water but soluble in alcohol, chloroform and solvent ether.

Chemical Constituents: It chiefly contains triglycerides of ricinoleic acid (About 80%). Other glycerides are also present in drug, where the fatty acids are represented by isoricinoleic acid, linoleic acid, Stearic and isostearic acids, and the viscosity of Castor oil is due to ricinoleic acid.

Uses: Cathartic (increases the movement of the bowels), in soap industry, as a lubricant, Castor oil js used as plasticizer and in preparation flexible collodion.

Chemical Test of Castor oil:

Sr.No	Chemical test	Observation	Inference
Chemical test for Fats & Oils
01	Solubility test: Solubility in polar solvent (e.g. water)	Completely insoluble	Oil. and fat is present
	Solubility in non-polar solvent (e.g. chloroform)	Completely soluble	Oil and fat is present
02	Sample oil stained on filter paper	Permanent stained observed	Fixed oil is present
03	In a test tube, add equal quantity of alcohol to oil	Clear liquid observed	Castor oil is present
04	In oil sample add half of its petroleum ether in a test tube	Completely miscible solution obtained	Castor oil is present

Result: The given Sample Crude drug was identified by performing chemical test and the sample was found to be Castor Oil.