Natural Products Chemistry Expertise

The NCNPR is uniquely positioned with strong expertise in natural product chemistry. Research teams of chemists allow for the development of innovative extraction methods as well as the isolation and identification of the compounds.

Preparation of crude extracts, enriched fractions and essential oils

Plants, marine organisms, and microbes are rich sources of bioactive compounds, such as alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids, tannins, volatile oils, lipids, phenols, coumarins, flavonoids, and polysaccharides. A crude extract is a concentrated complex mixture of natural compounds that can be used for in vitro/in vivo biological screening, purification of bioactive molecules, and preparation of enriched fractions as well as herbal supplements. The NCNPR has the capability to prepare targeted or non-targeted crude extracts and enriched fractions containing molecules of choice using organic solvents. The NCNPR is also competent in producing essential oils and environmentally-friendly ‘green’ extracts by special extraction methods using minimal organic solvents.

Isolation of bioactive compounds

Targeted or non-targeted isolation/purification of bioactive natural products at a milligram to gram scale is carried out proficiently by NCNPR researchers using various modern chromatographic techniques.

Structure elucidation of bioactive compounds

NCNPR scientists have the expertise to elucidate the structures of purified bioactive compounds by means of sophisticated spectroscopic techniques including NMR and mass spectrometers and chemical methods.