Study and Modeling the Influence of a Solvent on Extraction of Eugenol from Laurus Nobilis L. Leaves

this paper presents the results of a study and modeling of the influence of the solvent’s dielectric constant on the extraction of eugenol from the Laurus nobilis L leaves. The aim of this work is to study the effect of the solvent on the extraction of eugenol from the leaves of Laurus nobilis L., to propose a theoretical model for describing the results. Shredded plant material of Laurus nobilis L. leaves 0.1-0.5 mm. Aqueous solutions of ethanol (23, 39, 55, 73, 80, 96±1% v/v). The extracts were obtained by a ratio of plant materials extractant 1:5 (w/v), insisting for 24 hours at a temperature of 24±1°C. Analysis of the extracts was carried out using reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography and a standard sample of eugenol. The dependence of the concentration of eugenol in alcohol-water extracts on the concentration of ethanol in solution was studied. It was found that the maximum concentration of eugenol is observed in solutions with ethanol concentrations of 85±15 % vol. This range of ethanol concentrations corresponds to a dielectric constant of the solvent of 33.5±3.5 units. The regression equation of the dependence of the concentration of eugenol in the extract on the dielectric constant of alcohol-water solutions is obtained. It was found that the dielectric constant of the solvent has the most significant effect on the process of isolating the phytocomponent from plant materials. A mathematical model is theoretically grounded and tested to describe the dependence of the concentration of eugenol on the dielectric constant of water-ethanol solutions. The optimal range of solvent dielectric constant was found to achieve the maximum concentration of eugenol in the extract. Keywords—Laurus nobilis L. leaves, solvents, HPLC analysis, dielectric constant, eugenol