TETRADENIA RIPARIA-MEDIATED SYNTHESIS OF NANO-GOLD PARTICLES.

Plant-mediated synthesis of metallic nanoparticles is a growing area of interest in the fields of green synthesis and nanotechnology. The present work studied the synthesis of nano-gold particles using Tetradenia riparia flower, leaf and stem extracts derived using methanol and water. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) analysis and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. UV peaks for nano-gold synthesized from methanol and aqueous extracts were observed at 535 nm and 540 nm, respectively. SEM analysis revealed monodispersed spherical nano-gold particles in the diameter range of 10-35 nm. The presence of elemental gold in the nanoparticles was confirmed by EDX. FTIR analysis indicated the presence of terpenoids and pyrones which were responsible for reducing, capping and stabilizing of the nano-gold particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]