GB625097A - Improvements in or relating to solvent extraction of penicillin - Google Patents

Abstract

Penicillin is extracted from an aqueous medium, e.g. fermented culture broth, at a pH of over 2, but not over 6, with a solvent or a mixture of solvents which belong one or more of the following classes: (a) alicyclic ketones of five or six membered cyclic ring compounds which may have as substituents alkyl groups, e.g. cyclohexanone cyclopentanone and their derivatives, particularly mixtures of the methyl and/or dimethyl cyclohexanones; (b) ketones of the formula R.CO.R1, where R is an alicyclic five or six-membered ring and R1 is an alkyl radical containing from one to six carbon atoms, e.g. methyl-cyclohexyl or -cyclopentyl ketone; (c) ketones of the formula R-CO-R1, where R is an alicyclic five or six-membered which is separated from the carbonyl group by one to three carbon atoms and R1 is as above, e.g. 1-cyclohexyl-2 or 3-butanone; (d) esters of the formula R.COOR1 or R1COOR, where R and R1 are as in (b); (e) esters as defined in (d) in which the cyclic group is separated from the carboxylic group by one to three carbon atoms and (f) compounds of the formula <FORM:0625097/IV (b)/1> , where R is an alicyclic radical containing a ketonic group within the ring and R1 is an alkyl radical, e.g. esters of cyclopentanone and cyclohexanone carboxylic acids. In examples penicillin is extracted from aqueous media by means of (1) methyl-cyclohexanone; (2) dimethyl-cyclohexanone; (3) cyclohexyl acetate, and (4) cyclopentanone-2-carboxylic acid. Similar results are obtainable using methyl-cyclohexyl ketone, 1-cyclohexyl-2-butanone or the ethyl ester of cyclohexyl acetic acid.