Extract the solid material by swirling the Erlenmeyer flask with a 5ml portion of a 50%(by volume ) mixture of acetone and low-boiling petroleum ether. Break up any large clumps with a spatula.
Filter the solution in a Pasteur pipette and collect the filtrate in a large test tube. Extract with a second 5-ml portion of acetone-petroleum ether and pass through the Pasteur pipette. Wash the combined extracts with 5 ml of 10% aqueous k2co3. Nacl . Again , remove the aqueous wash with another 5 ml of saturated aqueous nacl and remove the aqueous wash. The above described washing and removing technique is a microscale extraction. Dry the lycopene-containing organic layer with na2so4. Remove the solution with a Pasteur pipette away from the drying agent into a 50ml reaction flask. Rinse with 5 ml of acetone-petroleum ether and repeat removal into the 50ml
reaction flask. Evaporate the lycopene of solvents on the rotavap.