Genevac has published a technical article that describes how its Rocket Evaporator has been used by the Technical University of Munich (Germany) as a sample preparation tool for extraction of active phytochemicals from the leaves of Gymnema sylvestre.
A Rocket Evaporator was chosen to dry the samples because of its high-volume sample capacity, a technology that eliminates cross contamination due to sample bumping and automated monitoring of temperature and pressure to prevent sample degradation. Employing Genevac's SampleGenie technology with the evaporator enabled TUM scientists to dry samples directly into pre-weighed vials, reducing sample preparation time and facilitating straightforward determination of the extraction yield.
Using a low-temperature technology, the Rocket Evaporator has become a popuylar tool for natural product researchers seeking to safely extract novel molecules from natural sources. To obtain fragrances from natural products, chemists and perfumers often employ organic solvent extraction techniques to produce a large volume of crude extract. This technique is preferable to steam distillation as the higher temperatures are prone to denaturing the delicate fragrance molecules and some materials do not yield their characteristic aroma using steam. To isolate individual fragrance components from the concentrated extract, one or two-dimensional chromatography is then often the technique of choice. The latest evaporators offer integrated, flexible solutions for processing a wide range of sample volumes. Interchangeable rotors will accommodate tubes, flasks and batch volumes of up to 100 litres.
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