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Phytochemistry II – Level 3
“From Medicinal Plants to Active Compounds: Hands-On Training in
Natural Product Isolation”
As part of the Phytochemistry II (PG 605) course, third-year pharmacy students at Mansoura
National University participated in a hands-on laboratory project designed to integrate theoretical
knowledge with practical skills in natural products chemistry.
Expanded Educational Impact
Applied Training in Natural Product Isolation:
Students were divided into groups of ten, each assigned a
specific medicinal plant such as coffee peels, tea leaves,
citrus peels, or black pepper. Using advanced laboratory
techniques, including decoction, maceration, sonication,
and ultrasound-assisted extraction, they successfully
isolated bioactive compounds such as caffeine and
hesperidin.
Scientific and Practical Skills Development: The
project enhanced students’ laboratory proficiency
through weighing, purification, filtration, and packaging
of the isolated compounds. Each group designed a
scientific label including the plant source, compound
structure, chemical formula, weight, safety precautions,
and usage recommendations.
Creativity and Product Design: Beyond isolation, students packaged their products in
scientifically designed containers and prepared detailed reports highlighting their methodology,
results, and conclusions. They also created short videos (max 5 minutes) documenting the full
process from raw plant material to the final purified product.
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