Medilol

Botanical Origin:                 Nicotiana rustica, 

Family:                                      Solanaceae

Part Used:                               Dried Leaves

Chemical Constituents:      Nicotine, nicotianine, and tobacco anabasine.

Theory:

                      Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. Nicotiana is a genus of herbs and shrubs of the nightshade family (Solanaceae) indigenous to North and South America, Australia, south west Africa and the South Pacific. Various Nicotiana species, commonly referred to as tobacco plants, are cultivated and grown to produce tobacco and are characterized by large fleshy leaves and numerous sticky hairs.

Nicotiana rustica leaves have a nicotine content as high as 9%, whereas Nicotiana tabacum (common tobacco) leaves contain about 1 to 3%. 

Requirements:

                                  Glass slides, filter paper, dropper, 1% hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, cover slip, Mayer’s reagent, Wagner’s reagent and Hager’s reagent.

Procedure:                                                                                                                                                                 

                   I took minute quantity of tobacco leaves and placed on glass slide add 3-4 drops of 1% hydrochloric acid to it. I crushed it with the help of needle for few minutes, so that nicotine containing alkaloids are extracted. Now V- shaped filter paper triangular with border sides’ co-inciding with cover slip. It will absorb it. Now extraction material is suck with the help of drops and I placed on different slides and I perform identification test with following reagents.

MAYER’S REAGENT: It is solution of potassium and mercuric iodide. It is prepared by taking 2g of mercuric iodide and dissolve in 20ml of water. Take potassium iodide 2g and add 20ml of water. Mix both the solutions together and make volume up to 1000ml with distilled water.

WAGNER’S REAGENT: It is the solution of potassium iodide with iodine. It is prepared by dissolving 2g of potassium iodide in 5ml of water and adds 1.27g of iodine. Stir it until dissolved and make up to 1000ml with distilled water.

HAGER’S REAGENT: It is the saturated solution of picric acid. It is prepared by taking 1g of picric acid in 100ml of distilled water and dissolves properly.

Uses:

Tobacco is most commonly used as

·         a recreational drug,

·         a valuable cash crop for countries such as Cuba, China and the United States.

·         Most commonly consumed in the forms of smoking, chewing, snuffing, or dipping tobacco, or snus.

IDENTIFICATION TESTS

RESULT:

                  Alkaloid (Nicotine) is present in the given sample of leaves.