Voltammetric Determination of Betulin in the Extracts of Plant Origin

Abstract

The electrochemical activity of betulin (the ability to undergo electrochemical oxidation) in aqueous solutions is determined by voltammetry on carbon-containing (glassy-carbon) electrodes. The suggested identification method is based on measuring the values of currents corresponding to the oxidation peaks of active functional groups of betulin, their heights being linearly dependent on the betulin concentration within a range of 1 × 10^–6–8 × 10^–5 mol/L. The developed voltammetric procedure makes it possible to determine betulin in plant extracts. Voltammetric curves for dry betulin extracts prepared using different purification procedures are obtained to demonstrate the possibility of betulin determination. The results are confirmed in spiking tests.