PHYTOCHEMICALS AND ORGANIC CONSTITUENTS OF JATROPHA CURCAS

Abstract

Jatropha Curcas is a multipurpose drought resistance plant that belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae. It has been known that this plants possesses phytochemicals and other chemical constituents which are used in traditional practices to treat various illness and disease; most of which hasn’t been yet identified; Before proper utilisation of the sap can be achieved, the components present must be known This study focused on analysing and evaluating the presence of phytochemicals and organic constituents in the sap of J. curcas. The sap was collected quickly from the plant and placed in an ice bath. The sample was subjected to phytochemical screening, which confirmed the presence of some phytochemicals which include: Tannin, steroid, flavonoids, saponin, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides etc. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS), as well as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) was also performed on the sap, which revealed different organic and chemical constituents present such as; 4-Ethylbenzamide, Tetradecanoic acid, 9-Octadecenamide (Z), 2-Furancarboxaldehyde 5-methyl.