Green approach to semisynthesis of apigenin from naringin isolated from very immature pomelo peels

The flavanone glycoside naringin, which is abundant in the very immature pomelo peel cultivated in Vietnam, has been demonstrated to have potential use in semisynthesis into other flavonoid compounds, especially apigenin, which exhibits several biological properties and has a greater commercial value. In this study, we carried out an oxidation reaction on flavanone backbone to semisynthesize apigenin with I2 catalyst in some environmentally friendly solvents such as a replacement for the reaction in the pyridine solvent, which is thought to be a non-green solvent.