Quantitative Determination of l-and d-φ-Ephedrine in Ephedra spp. by Thin-Layer Chromatography

Abstract

Chromatography has not been employed often for the separation of diastereomers, and the use of thin-layer chromatography was found to be useful in the separation of l-and d-φ-ephedrine from their mixture. Chromatography was carried out with a thin-layer of kiesel gel GF254 (Merck) of pH 8.0-8.4 and developed with n-BuOH-EtOH-H2O-CH3CHO (24 : 12 : 4 (ml) : 20 (μl)). Each component was determined by the dualwave, zigzag scanning densitometer (Shimadzu CS-900). This method was applied in the quantitative determination of l-and d-φ-ephedrine in Ephedra samples.