Column Chromatography

Column chromatography was used in an attempt to separate the curcuminoids.  The silica gel used was a 200-425 mesh.  The solvent used for the gel was the same as the solvent used for TLC, a 95:5 mixture of CH₂Cl₂:CH₃OH.

Initially, one darker layer appeared, it was expected to split into three separate layers, one for each of the curcuminoids.  Instead, the gel began to crack, possibly because of the interaction between the solvent used for the gel and the solvent used for the extraction of the curcumin, which was ethanol.  Whatever the reason, it ruined the run.  The crack in the gel was at the top of the column so the experiment continued to run.  The layer initially seen did not split into separate layers, in fact, it disappeared completely. 



Overall, this method was not effective, at least with the solvents used for this run.  The next attempt to separate the curcuminoids will be done with solid phase extraction.

6/4/18
-Alex Griffith