AbstractPlants contain various bioactive compounds which are used for curing of various human diseases. These bioactive compounds are broadly divided into two categories i.e., Primary and Secondary compounds. These primary metabolites are generally used for growth and development processes while as secondary metabolite compounds are widely used for processes other than growth and development i.e. Defense, attraction of pollinators etc. The present study involves the extraction and characterization of chemicals present in Alhagi pseudalhagi roots. The Roots of the selected medicinal plant were washed, air dried and then powdered. The aqueous, Dichloromethane, 50% Ethanol and Chloroform extract of roots were used for the qualitative phytochemical analysis to find out the phytochemical constituents in the plants. The Major secondary phytochemicals like Flavonoids, Alkaloids, Saponins and Phenols were quantified. The characterization and identification of chemicals in Dichloromethane, 50% Ethanol and Chloroform extracts was done by using Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry technique.
The results of the present study showed the presence of various classes of secondary metabolites in the roots of this plant. The quantified metabolites per 100 grams of dry sample were as, Flavonoids 8.80 ± 1.59; Alkaloids 3.97 ± 0.07; Saponins 4.82 ± 0.93 and Phenols 1.10 ± 0.21. The important compounds identified in different extracts by Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry were as Methyl salicylate; Phenol, 2,4-bis (1,1-dimethylethyl)-; 3,7,11,15-Tetramethyl-2-hexadecen-1-ol; Campestrol; β-Sitosterol; 4H-Pyran-4-one, 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-; 4,5-Diamino-2-hydroxypyrimidine; Apigenin 7-β-rutinoside; and Ergosa-5,22-dien-3-ol, acetate, (3 β, 22E)-.