Olawale H. Oladimeji

Isolation of ethyl cinnamate and a subtituted fluorene from Pycnanthus angolensis (Welw.) Warb.

Before now, two compounds namely, 3-ethoxy-3, 7-dimethyl-1, 6-octadiene (ethyl linalool) and 1, 2-benzenedicarboxylic acid diethyl ester (diethyl phthalate) have been isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of Pycnanthus angolensis by column chromatography. In this study, the preparative thin-layer chromatography (p-TLC) of two previously obtained residues was carried out. The chemical and biological properties of the compounds obtained therefrom were evaluated. This exercise led to two isolates ( NG -1 b and NG - 3b) whose identities have been revealed to be ethyl cinnamate ( cinnamic acid, ethyl ester) and 9-oximino-2, 7-diethoxy fluorene (2, 7-diethoxy-9H-fluoren-9-one oxime) respectively using the MS and IR spectral techniques. The compounds were surprisingly strongly bacteriostatic against Escherichia coli but recorded no activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans.