2D Raman spectroscopy as an alternative technique for distinguishing oleanoic acid and ursolic acid

The isomeric triterpenes oleanoic acid and ursolic acid are compounds exhibiting a variety of biological activities. Structurally, they differ only in the position of the methyl group (C-29) at ring E. The differentiation of these two compounds requires a detailed analysis of their 13C and 1H NMR spectra which is often tedious and time-consuming, besides the need of using deuterated solvents. In this work, we report the use of bidimensional Raman spectroscopy as a fast technique to distinguish these two bioactive isomeric compounds.