A Comparative Study on Leaf Pigment Variation and Solvent Efficiency in Chromatographic Separation of Ixora coccinea

Ixora coccinea, commonly called Jungle Germanium, is a flowering plant species in the family Rubiaceae of Order Gentianales with native range in Western and Southern India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh to Indochina. This paper investigates solvent efficiency for paper chromatography of Ixora coccinea leaves and provides a comparative analysis of leaf pigments in young versus old leaves. Four solvent systems were evaluated: diethyl ether, methanol:acetic acid (7:3), ethanol:water (8:2), and petroleum ether:acetone (9:1). Results demonstrate that leaf aging significantly affects photosynthetic pigment composition, with old leaves showing degraded chlorophyll and prominent anthocyanin retention. Among the tested solvents, petroleum ether:acetone (9:1) provided the most effective separation with distinct pigment bands and optimal Rf values. The study confirms that unsuitable developing solvent choice critically alters chromatographic outcomes and demonstrates the importance of solvent polarity in achieving clear pigment separation.