Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, Unit Catalogue 2008/09 |
PA30145 Practical pharmacognosy and the analysis of natural products |
| Credits: 6 |
| Level: Honours |
| Semester: 2 |
| Assessment: CW 20%, OT 50%, PR 30% |
| Requisites: |
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Aims: To introduce students to the practical procedures involved in the evaluation of crude drugs, the extraction and chemical characterisation of low molecular weight compounds of natural origin. To report the results of a practical investigation.
Learning Outcomes: After taking this Unit the student should be able to: 1. Carry out a microscopical and chromatographic evaluation of a dried plant material. 2. Demonstrate familiarity with the methods available for the extraction and isolation of low molecular weight compounds from natural sources. 3. Elucidate the chemical structure of simple natural products from spectroscopic data. 4. Evaluate a scientific paper in the field. 5. Produce a simple and informative scientific poster based upon a short practical investigation of a natural material. Skills: Practical skills (T/F/A); critical evaluation (T/F/A); IT skills (F); visual communication (T/F/A); written communication (F/A). Content: Identification of plant materials using microscopical techniques. Extraction techniques including solvent extractions, steam distillation, acid/base cycles. Separation techniques including thin layer and column chromatography, gas chromatography and GC/MS. Chemical structure elucidation of natural products. Choice of methodology for specific examples. Poster design and preparation. |