When treated with different acid solutions, sterols undergo colour changes that can help identify them. The Liebermann-Burchard reaction produces a grass-green colour with acetic anhydride and sulfuric acid. The Salkowski test develops a red to purple colour when treated with sulfuric acid. Zak's reaction produces a red colour when a cholesterol solution in acetic acid is treated with ferric chloride and sulfuric acid, serving as the basis for a colorimetric cholesterol estimation method.
When treated with different acid solutions, sterols undergo colour changes that can help identify them. The Liebermann-Burchard reaction produces a grass-green colour with acetic anhydride and sulfuric acid. The Salkowski test develops a red to purple colour when treated with sulfuric acid. Zak's reaction produces a red colour when a cholesterol solution in acetic acid is treated with ferric chloride and sulfuric acid, serving as the basis for a colorimetric cholesterol estimation method.
When treated with different acid solutions, sterols undergo colour changes that can help identify them. The Liebermann-Burchard reaction produces a grass-green colour with acetic anhydride and sulfuric acid. The Salkowski test develops a red to purple colour when treated with sulfuric acid. Zak's reaction produces a red colour when a cholesterol solution in acetic acid is treated with ferric chloride and sulfuric acid, serving as the basis for a colorimetric cholesterol estimation method.
(a) LiebermannBurchard reaction: A chloroform solution of a sterol, when treated
with acetic anhydride and conc. H2SO4 gives a grassgreen colour. The usefulness of this reaction is limited by the fact that various sterols give the same or similar colour. This reaction forms the basis for a colorimetric estimation of cholesterol by Sackett’s method (Basis of the reaction—see above).
(b) Salkowski test: When a chloroform solution of the sterol is treated with an
equal volume of conc. H2SO4 develops a red to purple colour. The heavier acid, which forms a layer below assumes a yellowish colour with a green fluorescence, whereas the upper chloroform layer becomes bluish red first, and gradually turns violet-red.
(c) Zak’s reaction: When glacial acetic acid, (aldehyde free), solution of cholesterol
is treated with ferric chloride and conc. H2SO4, produces a red colour. This reaction forms a basis for the colorimetric estimation of choles- terol (Zak’s method).