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Characterization of herbal medicine with different particle sizes using pyrolysis GC/MS, SEM, and thermal techniques

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Abstract

Analytical techniques have been used to characterize compounds from herbal medicine, its products and extracts. The objective of this study was to characterize a variety of particle sizes of Erythrina velutina Willd powder. The samples used in the study were named MUF01 (710 μm), MUF03 (180 μm) and MUF05 (75 μm). The techniques employed were scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal analysis such as thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) together with pyrolysis coupled to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Pyr-GC/MS). SEM enabled us to detect the existence of divergences from the expected results from the granulometry process. Thermal analytical techniques (TG and DTA) showed the thermal decomposition profile, corresponding to physical and chemical phenomena. The chromatographic data relative to the peak area of the compounds analyzed evidenced quantitative differences in the chemical compositions of the samples MUF01, MUF03, and MUF05 at 300, 450 and 600 °C. Neophytadiene 2,6,10-trimethyl, 14 and 3-eicosyne were identified by Pyr-GC/MS at 300, 450 and 600 °C, and it classified the samples according the peak area values, which were MUF05 > MUF03 > MUF01. SEM, DTA and TG confirmed this through particle size uniformity, heat flow, and mass loss, respectively.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPQ) for their financial support and to the Empresa de Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural da Paraíba (EMATER) for their technical support in this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Postgraduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Pernambuco, University City, Artur de Sá Avenue, Recife, PE, 50740-521, Brazil

    Lidiane Pinto Correia, José Valdilânio Virgulino Procópio, Ana Flávia Oliveira Santos & Rui Oliveira Macêdo

  2. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Unified Laboratories of Pharmaceutical Development and Assays, Federal University of Paraíba, Campus I, University City, João Pessoa, PB, 58059-970, Brazil

    José Valdilânio Virgulino Procópio, Horacinna Maria de Medeiros Cavalcante & Rui Oliveira Macêdo

  3. Pharmacy Department, State University of Paraíba, Baraúnas Street, Campina Grande, PB, 58429-500, Brazil

    Lidiane Pinto Correia & Cleildo Pereira de Santana

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  1. Lidiane Pinto Correia
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  2. José Valdilânio Virgulino Procópio
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  3. Cleildo Pereira de Santana
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  4. Ana Flávia Oliveira Santos
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  5. Horacinna Maria de Medeiros Cavalcante
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  6. Rui Oliveira Macêdo
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Correspondence to José Valdilânio Virgulino Procópio.

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Correia, L.P., Procópio, J.V.V., de Santana, C.P. et al. Characterization of herbal medicine with different particle sizes using pyrolysis GC/MS, SEM, and thermal techniques. J Therm Anal Calorim 111, 1691–1698 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-011-2129-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-011-2129-x

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