At first identification of a compound made by observing the chemical reactions, which is by destructing the identified compounds. This is followed by destruction result employed to deduce the molecular origin. In addition, chemical reactions were performed on the existing functional groups in the molecule.
According to Prof. Dr. Sugeng Riyanto, M.S, Apt, in the process of identification generally the reactions that can be observed was sought after. The method was initially quite adequate, however, after many new compounds are found and molecular structures have increasingly become more complicated, the conventional method is no longer sufficient. Nonetheless, this method is still used as a complementary identification. "If only this conventional method was used to determine the molecular structures of new compounds, undoubtedly the work will certainly take a long time," said Prof. Sugeng Riyanto at Senate Hall, Wednesday (14/12) when he was inaugurated as Professor of the UGM Faculty of Pharmacy.
Therefore, as the substitute to the compound identification, spectroscopic methods should be used. For spectroscopic methods has becoming cutting-edge methods to elucidate molecular structure. Spectroscopy itself is a science that studies the interaction between electromagnetic waves with matter. "Spectroscopy or spectrophotometry clearly means involving photons or electromagnetic waves interact with matter," said the man born in Bojonegoro, October 4, 1951.
Sugeng Riyanto said that for the need of a compound structure elucidation it is necessary to have ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy. While the sample needed is a pure compound with weight of about 10 milligrams. "These spectroscopic data are interpreted in the form of spectra and information from this data supports each other to be able to get the molecular structure," explains the husband of Nanik Suharyani and the father of two children during his speech entitled "The Role of Spectroscopy in Identification of Medicinal Plants Content.
Further, the lecturer in Pharmaceutical Chemistry Division, Faculty of Pharmacy, explains the compounds identification using chemical reactions has many limitations. Conventional identification of compounds with complex molecular structures requires a long time, up to many months, and there is even the possibility that the molecular structure cannot be found. "Spectroscopic method is necessary, because for good compounds identification in the International Journal publications, spectroscopic data have to be included, especially if the new compounds are new," Sugeng explained.
Unfortunately, the price of the instrument for spectroscopic examination is not cheap, Whilst UV-Vis spectrophotometer and infrared has already possessed by many chemical laboratories, it is still a concern that many universities in Indonesia do not have high-resolution NMR. "So, this is an obstacle to researchers when their research publications have reached to the molecular level," he concluded.