EXTRACTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CURCUMIN FROM TURMERIC RHIZOMES GROWN IN MÉRIDA, VENEZUELA

The extraction of naturally occurring compounds is one of the fastest-growing industries because of its benefits against its synthetic analogs. Environmental protection must require the use of natural products instead of chemicals to minimize pollution. Thus, this investigation studies the use of some natural product, as curcumin, as naturally occurring acid‐base indicators. Curcumin can be used as acid-base indicators since it was found that it possesses pH-dependent solubility. Curcumin, the major active component of turmeric, Curcuma longa (Zingiberaceae), is used as a spice in curry and as a coloring agent in yellow mustards, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and hair dyes. In this research, the main compound colored rhizome of turmeric (Curcuma longa) cultivated in Mérida, Venezuela, is extracted: Curcumin (C21H20O6) (1E,6E)-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione, in a yield of 3.42% after 8 hours of extraction using soxhlet extractor system with organic solvents (hexane and ethanol). The thin-layer chromatography and column performed separation and purification using a mobile phase, a mixture of chloroform-hexane 3:2. The dye was characterized by spectroscopic analysis of visible ultraviolet (UV-Vis) and infrared (IR), in addition to his studio in steering sensitivity as an acid-base indicator. This dye is useful as an acid-base indicator in strong acid-strong base volumes and did not require large amounts of it as it has high sensitivity. The results indicate that curcumin as an acid-base indicator allows the development of new standards in different chemistry fields that require this type of analysis.