CHEMICAL EVALUATION AND SPECTROSCOPIC IDENTIFICATION OF LEAF EXTRACT OF PE)PEROMIA PELLUCIDA (EWE RIRIN

Peperomia pellucida (Piperaceae), commonly known as Shiny bush, is a herbaceous plant widely recognized for its ethnomedicinal properties, including anti-inflammatory and analgesic benefits. In this study, air-dried leaves were extracted via Soxhlet extraction using methanol and partitioned into varying polarity fractions. Qualitative phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, resins, steroids, phenols, and carbohydrates. Toxicity screening via the brine shrimp lethality test flagged the ethyl acetate fraction as highly toxic ($\text{LC}_{50} = 45.85\text{ }\mu\text{g/ml}$), while more polar fractions remained non-toxic. The plant showed broad-spectrum antimicrobial efficacy against several bacterial and fungal pathogens, alongside prominent radical-scavenging capabilities exceeding 98% inhibition in ferric thiocyanate assays. Structural and functional properties were evaluated using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-VIS) spectrophotometry. FTIR spectrum profiling highlighted notable hydroxyl (-OH stretch at $3349.81\text{ cm}^{-1}$) and aliphatic structures (C-H stretch at $2927.23\text{ cm}^{-1}$), confirming phenolic, flavonoid, and steroid matrices. UV-VIS scanning exhibited primary electronic transitions at $353\text{ nm}$ and $407\text{ nm}$, indicating active organic chromophores. These findings substantiate the plant's clinical application in traditional healthcare and drug discovery