Thermal behaviour of some terpenoids

The terpenoids acetyl sitosterol, lupeol, acetyl diosgenin and stigmasterol were studied. Comparison of the thermogravimetric curves and the activation energies of the terpenoids suggested the following sequence of thermal stability: acetyl sitosterol < acetyl diosgenin < lupeol < stigmasterol. The DSC curves allowed determination of the melting points and the degrees of purity. Comparison of the TG and DSC curves revealed the presence of phase transitions without mass loss that were attributed to rearrangements in the terpenoid molecules.