Introduction

Solid-liquid extraction (SLE) is the extraction of soluble components from a solid, by

means of a proper solvent such as water. The component dissolves preferably in the
solvent. Solid liquid extraction is mainly used in food and pharmaceutical industry.
Applications of this process are industrial applications such as removal of aromatic
compounds from crude oil fractions, vitamins from aqueous solutions, production of
instant coffee, sugar production, edible oil production and even in mining such as metal
production of ores. Aside from industrial applications, solid-liquid extraction is also used in
laboratory applications such as sample preparations and practical applications such as
cleaning.
Many laboratory procedures require solid-liquid extraction, mainly as a preliminary
phase of the sample preparation. It is to be guaranteed that the soluble component are
retrieved completely and not degraded during the operation of solid-liquid extraction. The
principle of solid-liquid extraction is that the solid where a component/ components from
it are to be extracted and the solvent are mixed perfectly. The solvent and the extracted
soluble solids are removed and regenerated to save cost on the solvent used. Typically,
the solvent is regenerated by evaporation, which leaves the extracted soluble compound
as the product. The solvent is then condensed and reused again.
Some of the requirements for a good and suitable solvent are high solubility and
selectivity, non-toxic, non-inflammable, non-corrosive, stable in terms of chemical and
thermal (not too high boiling temperature), low specific heat capacity and low evaporation
enthalpy. Common solvents used are water, alcohols, acetone and benzene
In this experiment, a water bath sonicator was used where the temperature,
frequency, time and power can be adjusted. The solid was given to us by the supervisor
and it is in powder form where the scientific name for it is Andrographis Paniculata. This is
an herbal plant native to India, where it is traditionally used to treat infections and
diseases.