Analytical methods for natural products isolation

Biochemicals produced by nature are always special in terms of their structures, properties, medicinal uses, and many more reasons. Nature has always challenged chemists by producing the complex structural skeletons. As a consequence, an impressive number of modern drugs have been derived from natural sources. These new chemicals may be obtained by the qualitative/quantitative extractions from different plants/crops/animals/microorganisms extract. Over the years, due to the outstanding developments in the field of analytical separation methods coupled with advances in structural characterization techniques, natural products research is leading in fronts as an ocean of novel and interesting chemical scaffolds. This chapter gives an in-depth review of the state-of-the-art techniques for the extraction, isolation, purification, and characterization of metabolites from natural sources. Special attention is focused on discussion of case studies involving isolation of marine, microbial, and terrestrial natural products with the help of suitable examples.