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How to Extract Lycopene by Solvents

Lycopene is the red pigment in ripe tomatoes. It is an antioxidant that is thought to help fight some types of cancer. You can extract lycopene from tomato paste using organic solvents and separatory methods. Lycopene is an unsaturated molecule, meaning that it it has multiple carbon-carbon double bonds. It can be found in tomatoes in both the trans- and cis- forms.

Things You'll Need

  • 5 to 6 grams of tomato paste
  • 35 ml 50-percent acetone/hexane
  • 125 ml Erlenmeyer flask
  • Separatory funnel
  • 25 ml saturated sodium chloride
  • 25 ml 10-percent aqueous potassium carbonate
  • Deionized water
  • Filter funnel
  • 125 ml filter flask
  • Filter paper
  • Slurpie
  • Magnesium sulfate
  • Waste beaker
  • 100 ml beaker
  • Funnel stopper
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Instructions

    • 1

      Put the tomato paste into the 100 ml beaker.

    • 2

      Mix 10 ml of 50-percent acetone/hexane with the tomato paste. Decant, or filter, the liquid from the beaker into the 125 ml Erlenmeyer flask while keeping the tomato paste in the beaker. Mix another 10 ml of 50-percent acetone/hexane with the tomato paste and filter it again. Mix 10 ml of 50-percent acetone/hexane with the tomato paste and filter it a third time.

    • 3

      Mix the remaining 5 ml of 50-percent acetone/hexane with the tomato paste.

      Filter the liquid again, but this time collect the tomato paste on the filter paper.

      Press or smash any excess liquid from the tomato paste and let it filter into the Erlenmeyer flask.

    • 4

      Discard the tomato paste and filter paper.

    • 5

      Pour the liquid from the Erlenmeyer flask into the separatory funnel. Make sure that the stopcock on the separatory funnel is closed.

    • 6

      Wash and dry the Erlenmeyer flask and set it aside.

    • 7

      Add 25 ml of saturated sodium chloride to the separatory funnel.

      Cover the top of the funnel with a stopper.

    • 8

      Shake the funnel vigorously and vent it. Repeat this action two more times.

      To vent the funnel, hold it upside down and point the end away from you. Then open the stopcock to release any gas buildup. Close the stopcock.

    • 9

      Let the liquid in the separatory funnel separate into two distinct layers.

    • 10

      Drain the bottom layer into your waste beaker, but do not dispose of it until you extract your product because you may need to re-separate your liquid if you mess it up.

      Keep the top layer in the funnel.

    • 11

      Remove the stopper and add 25 ml of 10-percent potassium carbonate to the funnel.

      Replace the stopper.

    • 12

      Shake and vent the funnel two to three times.

    • 13

      Let the liquid in the funnel separate into two distinct layers.

    • 14

      Drain the lower layer into the waste beaker.

      Keep the top layer in the funnel.

    • 15

      Remove the stopper and add 25 ml of deionized water to the funnel.

      Replace the stopper.

    • 16

      Shake and vent the funnel two to three times.

    • 17

      Let the liquid in the funnel separate into two distinct layers.

    • 18

      Drain the lower layer into the waste beaker.

      Drain the top layer into a clean 125 ml Erlenmeyer flask.

    • 19

      Add 1 to 2 grams of magnesium sulfate and swirl to mix. If there is any water present in the solution, the magnesium sulfate will form clumps.

      Add more magnesium sulfate and mix until it no longer clumps.

    • 20

      Filter the solution into the 125 ml filter flask. Discard the magnesium sulfate and filter paper.

    • 21

      Connect the filter flask to the slurpie and dry the solution. The red residue in the flask is lycopene.


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