Large-scale isolation of scopoletin from Nicotiana tabacum

Nicotiana tabacum leaves are mainly used in the production of cigarettes and cigars all over the world, and a large amount of waste materials will be produced in the process. High-value scopoletin can be extracted and separated from waste materials, but there are some problems, such as low purity of products and inability of large-scale production. In this study, we established an efficient and stable method for producing high-purity scopoletin from waste tobacco by containing acetone reflux extracting with dynamic axial compression-high performance liquid chromatography (DAC-HPLC) separating. In particular, the extraction system makes the scopoletin fully extracted through continuous reflux, the DAC-HPLC system makes the high-purity scopoletin repeatedly obtained, and the DAC-HPLC system was first used for scopoletin. Finally, related to the waste tobacco power, the yield of scopoletin is 1.9%, and its HPLC purity is 99.94%. Additionally, a preparation method for the colorless needle crystal of scopoletin was established. Meanwhile, it has a strong antioxidant activity by testing the scavenging activity of the DPPH free radical and the Fe 3+ reducing power. And its spatial structure was identified by an X-ray diffractometer, which laid a good foundation for in-depth study of scopoletin. Graphical Abstract