A cost-efficient way of extracting L-quebrachitol from NR (natural rubber) latex was developed, and the efficiency in extracting L-quebrachitol with two different liquid-liquid extraction system was compared in this study. The acidic serum obtained from acid coagulation of NR latex was first added with excess quicklime and distilled under reduced pressure to remove all the water. Next, the solid substance was ground to powder, redissolved in ethanol, and then suction filtrated with filter paper to obtain the solution. The solution was then purified using silica gel column to near colourless liquid and concentrated using heat. It was then cooled to crystallize, in which white crystals were obtained. The white crystals were characterized with H-NMR, FTIR, polarimeter, and DSC. The H-NMR and FTIR results showed similar patterns as the commercial L-quebrachitol. The DSC patterns showed only one endothermic peak at 192 degrees C, and the optical rotation coincides with the commercial ones too. Thus, it can be concluded that the white crystals obtained were proven to be L-quebrachitol. In this study, the slightly improved extraction method of using two different solvent systems were studied with LC- MS for the first time. The whole process is cost-efficient, easy to concentrate in conventional rubber industry and environmental friendly compared to other studies.
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