ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF LINOLEIC ACID FROM THE LEAVES OF Cnidoscolus aconitifolis (Miller) I. M. Johnston

Linoleic acid [9Z, 12Z)]-octadeca-9,12-dienoic acid was isolated from the leaves of Cnidoscolus aconitlius, (Euphorbiaceae), a medicinal plant widely used as vegetable and in folkloric medicine in Niger Delta area of Nigeria where it is known as “Hospital too far”. The air-dried and pulverized leaves of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius was extracted with distilled methanol, using soxhlet apparatus. Isolation and purification were carried out using column and thin layer chromatographic technique. Structural elucidation using 1H-NMR, 13C-DEPT, COSY, HSQC, HMBC and with literature values confirmed the isolated compound as linoleic acid.