Strong Lewis acid MOF material for efficient and clean diosgenin extraction from total saponins in D. zingiberensis C. H. Wright

Conventional hydrolysis of total saponins for the extraction of diosgenin, an essential ingredient in the production of steroid hormones, has caused significant ecological pollution, making efficient and clean extraction methods necessary. Here, UiO-66-NH 2 with defect sites containing Zr-coordinated hydroxide and water groups was synthesized using concentrated HCl as a crystal modulator, which was further treated with trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (Me 3 SiOTf) to afford UiO-66-NH 2 OTf using the oxygen affinity of the Me 3 Si group. The strong Lewis acid UiO-66-NH 2 OTf was used to extract diosgenin from the total saponin, and the extraction temperature, extraction time and amount of addition were optimized using single-factor experiments and the response surface method. In addition, high-resolution mass spectrometry has been used to analyze the resulting compounds, thus suggesting an alcoholysis pathway and an alcoholysis mechanism for the total saponins.