PROCESS FOR OBTAINING A SUBSTANCE OF A UTERO-EVACUATING ACTIVITY FROM THE AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF THE ZOAPATL PLANT

1500518 Substituted oxepane derivatives ORTHO PHARMACEUTICAL CORP 8 April 1975 [11 April 1974 18 July 1974 6 Feb 1975] 14406/75 Heading C2C Compounds of formula are extracted from a zoapatle plant, e.g. Montanoa tomentosa or Montanoa floribunda, with water at 25-100‹ C. the aqueous extract being treated with a water-immiscible organic liquid to isolate the extracted compound. Alternatively the compound may be extracted with an organic liquid, the extract being treated with water. Suitable organic liquids for both processes include ethyl acetate, hexane, chloroform and benzene. The product may be purified by taking it up in an organic solvent, e.g. chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, methylene chloride, diethyl ether or benzene, treating the resultant solution with a mild base, e.g. sodium bicarbonate, carbonate or acetate, applying the organic phase to a chromatography column of, for example, polyvinyl acetate, silicic acid or silica gel and washing it off the column with a mixed solvent, e.g. benzene/ethyl acetate, hexane/dioxan or chloroform/isopropanol. Two or more chromatographic purification steps may be carried out.