The Phytochemistry and Antioxidant Activity of the Ethanol Extract of Cymbopogon citratus (POACEAE)

Most of the synthetic corrosion inhibitors which are used to protect metals from corrosion are highly toxic to both human beings and environment and they are often expensive and non-biodegradable.There is need to produce corrosion inhibitors which are non-toxic to human beings and are environmentally safe, being green inhibitors.Therefore, the use of natural products (reducing agents or antioxidant) extracted from plants as corrosion inhibitors has become a key area of research as they are extremely rich sources of naturalchemical compounds that are biodegradable, renewable, and cost-effective as well as can be extracted by simple methods. In this study, the ethanol extract of Cymbopogoncitratus (Poaceae) commonly called Lemongrass was investigated for its phytochemical constituents and antioxidant activity using Diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DDPH). The result of the phytochemical screening showed the presence of alkaloid, cardiac glycosides, terpenes, carbohydrate, polyphenols, saponins, tannins and flavonoids. The extract also showed antioxidant activity of 0.00053mg/mLThis value is higher than those of some. standard antioxidants The extract also reduced the compex Ferric ion and 2,3,5-triphenyl-1,3,4-triaza-2-azonia cyclpentane-1,4-diene chloride (TPTZ). The oily substance obtained from eluates C27 to C29 in the column chromatography were pooled together and preserved for spectroscopic analysis. The result of the spectroscopic analysis is expected to reveal the potential corrosion inhibitor present in the extract