APPLICATION OF GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY MATRIX-ISOLATION FOURIER-TRANSFORM INFRARED-SPECTROSCOPY TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF PYRROLIZIDINE ALKALOIDSFROM COMFREY ROOT (SYMPHYTUM-OFFICINALE L)

This paper demonstrates that pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) extracted f rom comfrey root grown in Washington State (USA) can be identified by gas chromatography/matrix isolation/Fourier transform infrared (GC/MI/ FTIR) spectroscopy. Infrared spectral bands observed in the fingerprin t region were unique even for closely related structures. The identiti es of the 4 major components, intermedine, lycopsamine, 7-acetylinterm edine, and 7-acetyllycopsamine, were confirmed by comparison with stan dards. Confirmation was also obtained by using the established techniq ues of electron ionization and positive ion chemical ionization gas ch romatography/mass spectrometry. The infrared spectra observed for the components of the root extract were consistent with known structures o f specific PAs. The identities of the minor components, symphytine and its isomers symlandine and/or symviridine, in the same extract were n ot confirmed.