Purification of monoterpenyl glycosides by gel-permeation and hydrophobic-interaction chromatography on polyacrylamide (Bio-Gel P-2).

Hydrophobic interaction of the aglycone of monoterpenyl glycosides with the polyacrylamide matrix of Bio-Gel P-2 greatly retards the elution of these substances when chromatographed in dilute aqueous sodium chloride. This hydrophobic interaction is eliminated by inclusion of 15% acetonitrile in the eluant, thereby permitting conventional gel-permeation chromatography. Combination of these techniques by sequential chromatography on the same Bio-Gel column, in the hydrophobic interaction mode followed by the gel-permeation mode, provides a simple, yet mild and highly selective procedure for the purification of monoterpenyl glycosides from crude plant extracts.

Metabolism of monoterpenes: lactonization of (+)-camphor and conversion of the corresponding hydroxy acid to the glucoside-glucose ester in sage (Salvia officinalis).

The bicyclic monoterpene ketone (+)-camphor is a major constituent (up to 26%) of the volatile oil of immature sage (Salvia officinalis L.) leaves; however, as the plant matures the content of this ketone declines in the fully expanded leaves (to about 65% of maximum) as does the overall yield of oil (to roughly 60% of maximum). Examination of the metabolism of (+)-[G-3H]camphor in discs prepared from mature leaves of flowering sage plants revealed that this ketone was converted to a water-soluble metabolite which on chromatographic analysis proved to be considerably more polar than a simple monoterpenyl glycoside.