Supercritical Fluid Extraction in Natural Products Analyses

Supercritical fluids (SCFs) are increasingly replacing the organic solvents, e.g., n -hexane, chloroform, dichloromethane, or methanol, that are conventionally used in industrial extraction, purification, and recrystallization operations because of regulatory and environmental pressures on hydrocarbon and ozone-depleting emissions. In natural products extraction and isolation, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), especially employing supercritical CO₂ , has become a popular choice. Sophisticated modern technologies allow precise regulation of changes in temperature and pressure, and thus manipulation of solvating property of the SCF, which helps the extraction of natural products of a wide range of polarities. This chapter deals mainly with the application of the SFE technology in the natural products extraction and isolation, and outlines various methodologies with specific examples.