Abstract
The effects of the concentration of the extract and the pH of the water phase on the partition between butanol and water of a crude extract from soybean seed hypocotyls were estimated. A seventy percent ethanol extract was dispersed in butanol-water (1:1) and each layer was subjected to thin layer chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography. A low concentration of the extract showed a high purity of saponins and a low partition ratio of soyasaponin I. At about pH 3.3, soyasaponin I was contained only in the butanol layer, and the partition ratio of soyasaponin I decreased with an increase in pH.
