Author(s):
Raveed Yousuf Bhat, Muhammad Aabid Shah, Fayaz Ahmad Wagay
Email(s):
raveedchemgdc@gmail.com
DOI:
10.52711/0975-4385.2026.00047 
Address:
Raveed Yousuf Bhat*, Muhammad Aabid Shah, Fayaz Ahmad Wagay
Postgraduate Department of Chemistry, Government College for Women, Nawakadal, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
*Corresponding Author
Published In:
Volume - 18,
Issue - 4,
Year - 2026
ABSTRACT:
Juglans regia L. (Juglandaceae), an economically important and traditionally utilized walnut species of Jammu and Kashmir, is recognized as a rich source of structurally diverse specialized metabolites. The present investigation was undertaken to explore the phytochemical composition of J. regia fruit rind through systematic solvent extraction, chromatographic isolation, spectroscopic characterization, and chemical derivatization of selected constituents. Shade-dried fruit rind was exhaustively extracted with light petroleum (60–80 °C), followed by repeated extraction of the residual plant material with 90% ethanol. The resulting extract was monitored by thin-layer chromatography and fractionated by silica-gel column chromatography using chloroform–methanol systems of progressively increasing polarity. Three constituents were characterized as ursolic acid (RB-1), 1,2-di-O-galloyl-ß-D-glucopyranoside (RB-3), and betulin (RB-4) on the basis of complementary physicochemical and spectroscopic evidence, including melting-point determination, infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and ¹H/¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The assignment of ursolic acid was additionally supported by co-TLC, melting-point comparison, and comparison with an authentic sample, whereas betulin was corroborated by melting point, co-TLC, and co-IR. Betulin was further subjected to acetylation and benzoylation, affording derivatives with melting points of 215–217 °C and 176–177 °C, respectively, thereby providing complementary chemical evidence for its hydroxyl functionalities. Previous studies have established pentacyclic triterpenoids and galloylated glucose derivatives as components of J. regia; therefore, the significance of the present investigation resides not in claiming first discovery of these metabolites but in their constituent-level isolation and characterization from the investigated fruit-rind material, complemented by chemical derivatization of betulin. The findings further demonstrate the phytochemical heterogeneity of J. regia fruit rind and provide a foundation for subsequent quantitative, spectroscopic, and biological investigations.
Cite this article:
Raveed Yousuf Bhat, Muhammad Aabid Shah, Fayaz Ahmad Wagay. Phytochemical Investigation of Juglans regia L. Fruit Rind: Isolation, Structural Characterization and Chemical Derivatization of Natural Products. Research Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry. 2026; 18(4):331-5. doi: 10.52711/0975-4385.2026.00047
Cite(Electronic):
Raveed Yousuf Bhat, Muhammad Aabid Shah, Fayaz Ahmad Wagay. Phytochemical Investigation of Juglans regia L. Fruit Rind: Isolation, Structural Characterization and Chemical Derivatization of Natural Products. Research Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry. 2026; 18(4):331-5. doi: 10.52711/0975-4385.2026.00047 Available on: https://rjpponline.org/AbstractView.aspx?PID=2026-18-4-3
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