Phytochemical screening of plant extracts and GC-MS analysis of the n-hexane soluble part of the crude chloroform extract of seed pods of Cassia fistula growing in Bangladesh

Abstract

Phytochemical screening and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) methods were used to determine the phytochemical components of various extracts of seed pods of Cassia fistula. Preliminary phytochemical screening of chloroform and methanol extracts of seed pods of Cassia fistula were carried out to identify the class of compounds present in each extract. The results showed that steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, coumarins and alkaloids were present in both chloroform and methanol extracts. But quinones, anthraquinones & carbohydrates were only present in methanol extract. Tannins showed negative result both chloroform and methanol extracts. The GC-MS analysis of the n-hexane soluble part of the crude chloroform extract of the seedpods of Cassia fistula was done which allowed the identification and quantification of 19 n-hexane soluble compounds present in the seedpods of Cassia fistula. From the study, it was observed that the total amount of identified compound was 95% and the composition of nearly 5% remained unidentified. The compound with highest concentration was (3-β)-Lup-20(29)-en-3-ol acetate (18.59%).