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Johnleprekan
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Why is alcohol better at dissolving compounds in herbs than water? Such as alkaloids and resins. Can someone explain how it actually does this?
Alcohol Solvents: Dissolving Herbs' Alkaloids & Resins
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SUMMARY
Alcohol is superior to water for dissolving alkaloids and resins in herbs due to its non-polar nature, which allows it to effectively interact with similar non-polar compounds found in these plants. The principle of "like dissolves like" explains that non-polar substances do not interact well with polar solvents like water, which relies on dipole-dipole attractions for solubility. This fundamental chemistry principle highlights the importance of solvent polarity in extraction processes.
PREREQUISITES- Understanding of polarity in chemistry
- Knowledge of organic solvents and their properties
- Familiarity with alkaloids and resins in herbal compounds
- Basic principles of solubility and solvent interactions
- Research the extraction methods using ethanol for herbal alkaloids
- Learn about the role of polarity in solvent selection for extractions
- Explore the chemistry of non-polar solvents and their applications
- Investigate exceptions to the "like dissolves like" rule in chemistry
Chemists, herbalists, and anyone involved in the extraction of compounds from plants will benefit from this discussion, particularly those focused on optimizing extraction techniques using alcohol solvents.