Capsaicin+Extract+in+Pest+Repellant

**Abstract:** The Efficacy of Capsaicin Extract in Pest Repellency Paul Micevych and Gabe Chang  The purpose of the lab was to apply chemistry ideas and previous knowledge about solubility to use manually extracted capsaicin from various dried peppers as a repellent for crickets. In the experiment, capsaicin from both Jamaica peppers and chipotle peppers was extracted in four separate trials, two for each type of dried pepper. First dissolved into isopropyl alcohol (C3H8O), the hydrocarbon capsaicin (C18H27NO3) was subsequently condensed and concentrated until it formed as a dark precipitate with the consistency of molasses. Although relatively insoluble in water, C18H27NO3 is highly soluble in ethanol and vegetable oils. Therefore the capsaicin from each type of pepper acted as a solute and completely dissolved in the isopropyl alcohol, which served as a solvent. In terms of organic chemistry naming, the compound capsaicin is also known as 8-Methyl-N-vanillyl-6-trans-nonenamide due to the complex structure of the hydrocarbon. The capsaicin derived from dried Jamaica peppers amounted to 12.08g and 9.72g respectively in the two separate trials, while the capsaicin derived from dried chipotle peppers was 6.89g and 7.99g in the first and second trials. In order to apply the extracted capsaicin to a real life situation, the substance was used as a repellant for crickets. The results concluded that the capsaicin from the Jamaica peppers acted as a better repellent than the capsaicin from the chipotle peppers; however, neither of the capsaicin extracts completely repelled the crickets. Hence, the spicier of the dried peppers (Jamaica) deterred the crickets the most as the insects ate the least of the food tainted with the capsaicin derived from such peppers (.10g and .07g in two trials).

Key Words: Solubility, Capsaicin, Hydrocarbon, Repellency, Precipitate.


 * Results Graphic: **


 * Photo of Condensing ****Apparatus:**

**Audacity File:**

media type="file" key="Capsaicin Extraction Recording.wav" width="300" height="50"


 * Journal Article: **

ANTONIOUS, G. F., MEYER, J. E., & SNYDER, J. C. (2006). Toxicity and Repellency of Hot Pepper Extracts to Spider Mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch. //Journal of Environmental Science & Health, Part B -- Pesticides, Food Contaminants, & Agricultural Wastes//, 41(8), 1383-1391. doi:10.1080/0360123060096419 Persistent link to this record (Permalink): @http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23002374&site=ehost-live

Reyes-Escogid, M. (2011). Chemical and pharmacological aspects of capsaicin. //Directory of//

//Open Access Journals //, Retrieved from []