EFROSINI KOKALARI (TELI)*, ALKETA LAME, XHENSILA GRECA, ALBANA JANO
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences Tirana
*Corresponding author E-mail:efrosiniteli@yahoo.com
Abstract:
Oleuropein is the most abundant phenolic compound in olive leaves. This compound has been extensively studied for human health benefits. In recent years oleuropein, is proved to be an efficient inhibitor against the corrosion of metals and alloys. The use of chemical inhibitors has been limited, because of the environmental threat. The increasing ecological awareness among scientists have led to the development of “green” alternatives to mitigate corrosion. It is very important to choose cheap and safety handled compounds to be used as corrosion inhibitors.The extract of oleuropein from olive leaves, represent a great inhibitive action about 93%, against the corrosion of carbon steel in acidic media. Oleuropein, a natural product of the secoiridoid group, is a heterosidic ester of elenolic deteracid and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol, containing a molecule of glucose, the hydrolysis of which yields elenolic acid glucoside and hydroxytyrosol. Oleuropein from the olive leaves was obtained by alcoholic extraction in room temperature using microwave irradiation. The extract was stored at 4oC and in the dark. The product of extraction was analyzed with HPLC, and infrared (IR) spectroscopy, in order to define it’s chemical structure. Also we defined the yield, density and molecular weight of the product. The product of extraction was oleuropein and we propose to use it as corrosion inhibitor.
Keywords: extraction, olive leaf, oleuropein, corrosion inhibitor.
