Di-alkyl substituted phenol from <i>Acalypha wilkesiana var. golden-yellow</i> (Muell & Arg.)

Abstract

Acalypha wilkesiana var. golden-yellow (Muell & Arg.) is a species and variety used in native medicine for the management or treatment of headache, gastrointestinal disorders, wounds, tumors and skin infections amongst many others. Before now, two compounds namely, 4-ethoxy-4-oxobutanoic acid (ethyl succinate) and 2-ethoxy- 5(hydroxymethyl)-oxalane-3, 4-diol (ethyl β-riboside) have been obtained from the butanol fraction. This present study was carried out by subjecting one of the residues obtained from the processing of plant to column chromatography. A phenol designated as W-3(I) [ R f (0.42); m.pt. (88-90 0 C] was isolated whose identity has been established to be 3, 5-Di-t-butyl phenol (3, 5-Di-t-butyl hydroxy benzene) using the 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, MS and IR spectral techniques. W-3(I) was non-suppressive of B. subtilis , S. typhi and V. cholerae but recorded minimal activity against S. aureus , E. coli and Ps. aeruginosa . However, the compound gave no anticandidal activity. The compound would serve as chemotaxonomic marker for this species and variety in particular and the genus, Acalypha in general. Keywords: Phenol; Chemotaxonomic; Acalypha wilkesiana var. golden-yellow (Muell & Arg.)