Diagram:
Procedure :
1) The menstrum is placed in a round bottom flask.
2) The drug to be extracted is packed in a filter paper and placed in the body of Soxhlet extractor.
3) Solvent is boiled on heating a flask.
4) The vapour enter into the condenser through the side tube. The vapour get condensed into hot liquid, which falls on the column of drug.
5) The extractor gets filled with the solvent. Hot solvent extracts the active constituents of the drug.
6) The solvent having active constituents syphon over and run into the flask through the syphon tube.
7) The alternate process of filling and emptying the body of extractor goes on continuously.
8) The soluble active constituents of the drug remain in the flask, while the solvent evaporates respectively.
9) This process continues till drug exhausted.
10) Normally the process is repeated about 15 times to exhaust the drug properly.
Limitation :
1. Physical character of the drug: If the drug would block the soxhlet apparatus then this process cannot be used for extraction. Eg opium. Gum, resin, orange peel, etc.
2. Solvent: Only pure solvents or constant boiling mixtures can be used.
3. Chemical constituents of the drug: The process is unsuitable for drugs having thermolabile active constituents such as enzymes, alkaloids, anthraquinone derivatives, esters, etc.