Comparison of different extraction methods for the determination of essential oils and related compounds from aromatic plants and optimization of solid-phase microextraction/gas chromatography

Different extraction methods for the subsequent gas chromatographic determination of the composition of essential oils and related compounds from marjoram (Origanum majorana L.), caraway (Carum carvi L.), sage (Salvia officinalis L.), and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) have been compared. The comparison was also discussed with regard to transformation processes of genuine compounds, particularly in terms of expenditure of time. Hydrodistillation is the method of choice for the determination of the essential oil content of plants. For investigating the composition of genuine essential oils and related, aroma-active compounds, hydrodistillation is not very useful, because of discrimination and transformation processes due to high temperatures and acidic conditions. With cold solvent extraction, accelerated solvent extraction, and supercritical fluid extraction, discrimination of high and non-volatile aroma-active components as well as transformation processes can be diminished, but non-aroma-active fats, waxes, or pigments are often extracted, too. As solid-phase microextraction is a solvent-free fully automizable sample preparation technique, this was the most sparing to sensitive components and the most time-saving method for the rapid determination of the aroma compounds composition in marjoram, caraway, sage, and thyme. Finally, solid-phase microextraction could be successfully optimized for the extraction of the aroma components from the plants for their subsequent gas chromatographic determination.     

Low-pressure solubility of propane and n-butane in refined soybean oil

This work reports gas-solubility data of pure propane and n-butane in refined soybean oil in the temperature range from (283 to 333) K, and pressures up to 0.4 MPa. For this purpose, a simple laboratory apparatus containing a glass equilibrium cell was used and the methodology consisted basically of injecting and storing the gas in the system at a pre-established pressure and then allowing gas dissolution. The liquid phase compositions were calculated through an iterative procedure considering the pure fugacity in the gas of the lighter component. From the experimental (gas + liquid) equilibrium results, P–x diagrams were constructed and exhibited for both light components an almost linear relationship, with observed negative deviations from ideal behaviour at all temperatures investigated.     

Analysis of volatile components from<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Ziziphora taurica</Emphasis> subsp.<Emphasis Type="Italic"> taurica</Emphasis> by steam distillation,superheated-water extraction,and direct thermal desorption with GC×GC–TOFMS

Volatile components from the leaves of Ziziphora taurica subsp. taurica have been isolated by steam distillation, superheated-water extraction, and direct thermal desorption techniques. The volatile components were characterized by comprehensive two dimensional gas chromatography–time of flight mass spectrometry. The extraction yields from Z. taurica leaves were found to be 1.56% and 1.32% for steam distillation and superheated-water extraction respectively. The major compounds found in the volatile fractions of the leaves of Z. taurica were pulegone, terpinen-4-ol, cis-carveol, trans-carveol, and verbenone. The number of volatile components identified were 28, 30, and 41 for steam distillation, superheated-water extraction, and direct thermal desorption, respectively.This revised version replaces the article published online on March 2005.     

Quantitative and fingerprinting analysis of Atractylodes rhizome based on gas chromatography with flame ionization detection combined with chemometrics

This study assessed the feasibility of gas chromatography with flame ionization detection fingerprinting combined with chemometrics for quality analysis of Atractylodes rhizome. We extracted essential oils from 20 Atractylodes lancea and Atractylodes koreana samples by hydrodistillation. The variation in extraction yields (1.33–4.06%) suggested that contents of the essential oils differed between species. The volatile components (atractylon, atractydin, and atractylenolide I, II, and III) were quantified by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection and confirmed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry, and the results demonstrated that the number and content of volatile components differed between A. lancea and A. koreana. We then calculated the relative peak areas of common components and similarities of samples by comparing the chromatograms of A. lancea and A. koreana extracts. Also, we employed several chemometric techniques, including similarity analysis, hierarchical clustering analysis, principal component analysis, and partial least‐squares discriminate analysis, to analyze the samples. Results were consistent across analytical methods and showed that samples could be separated according to species. Five volatile components in the essential oils were quantified to further validate the results of the multivariate statistical analysis. The method is simple, stable, accurate, and reproducible. Our results provide a foundation for quality control analysis of A. lancea and A. koreana.     

Analysis of the Volatile Components in the Leaves of Cinna-momum camphora by Static Headspace Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Combined with Accurate Weight Measurement

The volatile components in the leaves of C. camphora were analyzed by static headspace‐gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HS‐GC‐MS) combined with accurate weight measurement. Accurate weight measurement obtained by Time‐of‐Flight mass spectrometry (TOF‐MS) helped to confirm the identification of volatiles in the analysis. 59 volatile components in the leaves of C. camphora were identified, which mainly included cis‐3‐hexen‐1‐ol (5.6%), 3‐hexen‐1‐ol, acetate (Z) (11.1%), β‐caryophyllene (15.4%), bicyclogermarene (8.4%), trans‐nerolidol (19.5%) and 9‐oxofarnesol (7.7%). The results show that method using HS‐GC‐MS combined with accurate weight measurement achieves reliable identification and has extensive application in the analysis of volatile components present in complex samples.     

Hydrodistillation–Solvent Microextraction and GC–MS Identification of Volatile Components of Artemisia aucheri

A new, simple hydrodistillation–solvent microextraction (HD–SME) technique has been used for analysis of the volatile components of the aerial parts of Artemisia aucheri. The components were collected in a single microdrop, and this was injected directly for gas chromatographic–mass spectrometric (GC–MS) analysis. The effects on extraction efficiency of extraction solvent, sample mass, microdrop volume, and extraction time were optimized by use of a simplex method. The identities of the components of HD–SME extracts were confirmed according to their retention indexes and mass spectra with those of standards. Forty components were extracted and identified by use of the method; 1,8-cineol (22.8%), chrysanthenone (18.16%), α-pinene (8.33%), and mesitylene (7.41%) were the major constituents. The results obtained from the microextraction method were compared with those obtained by conventional hydrodistillation.     

Characterization of the raw essential oil eugenol extracted from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Syzygium</Emphasis> <Emphasis Type="Italic">aromaticum</Emphasis> L.

Eugenol is the main volatile compound extracted oil from clove bud, Syzygium aromaticum L., and used in traditional medicine, as a bactericide, fungicide, anesthetic, and others. Its extraction was performed using hydrodistillation which is the most common extraction technique. Its components and thermal behavior were evaluated using gas chromatography (GC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), which provide a better characterization of these natural compounds. This extracted product was compared to the standard eugenol results. The GC results suggested ~90% eugenol was found in the total extracted oil, and some of its boiling characteristics were 270.1 °C for peak temperature and 244.1 J g⁻¹ for the enthalpy variation. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Evolution of Brassica rapa var. rapa L. volatile composition by HS-SPME and GC/IT-MS

Brassica rapa var. rapa L. (turnip) is highly appreciated and consumed by human. In this work, the volatile profile of B. rapa var. rapa was studied during the maturation process. The volatiles of seeds, sprouts with 6 and 9 days, and adult plant were determined using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with gas chromatography/ion trap-mass spectrometry (GC/IT-MS).Several constituents, including alcohols, aldehydes, esters, ketones, norisoprenoids, nitrogen and sulphur compounds were characterized, totalizing 64 compounds. Isothiocyanates are the main volatiles in all matrices, being 3-butenyl isothiocyanate the major compound. Qualitative and quantitative differences were found among the analysed materials. Nitrogen and sulphur compounds decreased during the maturation process, while terpenes, aldehydes, norisoprenoids and ester compounds were present in higher amounts during germination, especially in sprouts with 9 days of development.     

Determination of the volatile constituents of ChineseCoriandrum sativum L. by gas chromatography—Mass spectrometry with solid-phase microextraction

Summary Fifteen main volatile compounds in ChineseCoriandrum sativum L. were separated and identified by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry (GC-MS) combined with solid-phase microextraction (SPME). Fresh ChineseCoriandrum sativum L. was ground and its volatile compounds were extracted by SPME with a 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane fiber. The fibers were desorbed in a GC injection liner at 250°C for 3 min. More than 15 peaks were separated by headspace SPME-GC-MS analysis. The main compounds in headspace ofCoriandrum sativum L. identified by mass spectrometry included decanal, 2-decenal, 1-decanol,trans-2-decen-1-ol,trans-2-decen-1-al,trans-2-tridecenal etc, which were verified by reference compounds. Their relative contents were calculated on basis of peak areas. SPME extraction conditions and capillary chromatography column used to separate the volatile compounds were investigated.     

Determination of the enantiomers of 3-tert.-butylamino-1,2-propanediol by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to evaporative light scattering detection

A method for the separation and quantitation of the enantiomers of 3-tert.-butylamino-1,2-propanediol by high-performance liquid chromatography and evaporative light scattering detection has been developed. Separation of the enantiomers was performed in normal-phase liquid chromatography on a Chiralpak AS chiral stationary phase. The influence of the gas nature, gas pressure and temperature of the drift tube of the evaporative light scattering detector on the detection sensitivity was investigated. The method was validated in terms of linearity, limit of quantitation, accuracy and precision. The enantiomeric excess of (S)-3-tert.-butylamino-1,2-propanediol, used for the industrial synthesis of (S)-timolol, was measured from 0 to 94%.     

Effect of media on spore yield and thermal resistance of Bacillus stearothermophilus

The interference of eight components in the yield of sporulation and thermal resistance to moist heat (121°C) of Bacillus stearothermophilus spores suspended in 0.02 M calcium acetate solution and inoculated on paper strips previously treated with calcium acetate/calcium hydroxide was studied. The spore yield of 1.0×10⁸/mL was developed at 62°C in 17 media containing different concentrations of d-glucose, sodium chloride, l-glutamic acid, yeast extract, peptone, manganese sulfate, potassium phosphate, and ammonium phosphate. The combined effects of yeast extract, peptone, and glucose contributed positively to the spore yield and to the stability of the thermal resistance of both spores in suspension and on strips.     

Analysis of volatile components from Melipona beecheii geopropolis from Southeast Mexico by headspace solid-phase microextraction

A head space solid-phase microextraction method combined with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was developed and optimised to extract and analyse volatile compounds of Melipona beecheii geopropolis. Seventy-three constituents were identified using this technique in the sample of geopropolis collected. The main compounds detected include β-fenchene (14.53–15.45%), styrene (8.72–9.98%), benzaldehyde (7.44–7.82%) and the most relevant volatile components presents at high level in the geopropolis were terpenoids (58.17%).     

Hydrogen production from paper sludge hydrolysate

The main objective of this study was to develop a system for the production of “renewable” hydrogen. Paper sludge is a solid industrial waste yielding mainly cellulose, which can be used, after hydrolysis, as a feedstock in anaerobic fermentation by (hyper)thermophilic organisms, such as Thermotoga elfii and Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus. Tests on different medium compositions showed that both bacteria were able to produce hydrogen from paper sludge hydrolysate, but the amount of produced hydrogen and the requirement for other components differed. Hydrogen production by T. elfii strongly depended on the presence of yeast extract and salts. By contrast, C. saccharolyticus was less dependent on medium components but seemed to be inhibited by a component present in the sludge hydrolysate. Utilization of xylose was preferred over glucose by C. saccharolyticus.     

Capillary GLC controls of some alpineArtemisiae and of the related liqueurs

Summary Artemisia genipi Weber,Artemisia umbelliformis Lam. andArtemisia glacialis L. are plants of the Compositae family, traditionally employed in manufacturing a liqueur called genepi. Indiscriminate picking of these plants has increased their rarity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether it was possible to cultivate these three rare mountain plants, and to assess the quality of plants available commercially and also of manufactured liqueurs. The results of the gas chromatographic analyses of volatile components from both plants and liqueurs are reported. In the present investigation three different techniques were used: direct head-space analysis by capillary GC of plants and liqueurs, and capillary GC analysis of the volatile extracts of plants and liqueurs after two different microdistillation processes.     

The Essential Oil of Pistacia vera L. at Various Temperatures of Direct Thermal Desorption Using Comprehensive Gas Chromatography Coupled with Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

The essential oil obtained from the hulls of Pistacia vera fruits using direct thermal desorption was resolved using comprehensive gas chromatography (GC×GC) coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS). A range of temperatures (100, 150, 200, 250 °C) for thermal desorption were applied to extract volatile organic compounds from around 10mg of raw sample. Although different species profiles were produced at each temperature (notably browning products above 200 °C), -pinene and (Z)--terpineol were found to be the major components at all temperatures studied. The number of compounds observed increased with increasing temperature. A temperature of 150 °C is recommended as optimum for the direct thermal desorption of volatiles from matrices such as fruit hulls. The GC×GC separation chromatographically resolved several hundred components which when coupled for detection with TOF-MS gave high probability identifications for around 100 compounds. The comprehensive separation also separated a number of components which remained unresolved on a single GC column, such as camphene with butyrolactone and dodecane with p-cymene.     

Ion/Molekülreaktionen negativ geladener KomplexeSchiffscher Basen mit potentiellen Ligandmolekülen in der Gasphase

Ion/molecule reactions of four coordinateSchiff base complexes under negative ion chemical ionization conditions have been studied. The complex metal ions consisted of cobalt(II), nickel(II) and copper(II).Schiff base ligands with different donor strengths were employed. The gas mixtures used contained 90% methane and 10% of the gases O₂, NO or CO. The spectra showed intense molecular negative ions, formed by secondary electron capture processes. Secondary ions were formed via ion/molecule reactions between the parent molecular negative ion and added gas molecules to giveMLX ^–,X=O₂, NO, CO;L=Schiff base ligand,M=Co(II) or Ni(II). Consistent with former investigations, secondary ion formation was not found for the copper compounds. Influence of the central metal ion as well as the ligand donor strength on the ion/molecule reactions are discussed. From the results obtained a mechanism of the secondary ion formation is suggested.

     

Separation of mixtures of solvents with wide bore capillary columns connected in series

The gas chromatographic separation of the components of a complex mixture of industrial solvents, not possible on a single stationary phase owing to coelution of some of the compounds, has been achieved on two serially connected wide bore capillary columns of different polarity. The analysis of a mixture of twenty five compounds was optimized using the serial gas chromatography theory of Purnell and Williams. The capacity factors of sample components measured with the two columns coupled in series were found to agree with those predicted by theory, regardless of the order in which they were connected.     

Composition of essential oils from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salvia anatolica</Emphasis>, a new species endemic from Turkey

The component composition of essential oils produced by steam distillation from flower heads, leaves, and stems of Salvia anatolica (Lamiaceae), a recently described new species endemic from Turkey, was studied by GC/FID and GC/MS. A total of 127 volatile components representing 96% of the oil was identified in essential oil from flower heads and leaves. It was found that the principal oil components of flower heads and leaves were α-pinene (10.9%), β-pinene (6.7%), α-copaene (6.3%), heptacosane (6.2%), and hexadecanoic acid (5.0%). A total of 109 volatile compounds representing 87.9% of the oil was characterized in essential oil isolated from stems. The principal oil components of stems were identified as hexadecanoic acid (27.2%), tetradecanoic acid (15.2%), dodecanoic acid (5.5%), and α-copaene (5.0%). __________ Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 6, pp. 552–555, November–December, 2007.     

Aryltetralin Lignans from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Linum mucronatum</Emphasis> Bertol. ssp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">mucronatum</Emphasis>

The dried and aerial part of Linum mucronatum ssp. mucronatum was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Two aryltetralin lignans, podophylloyoxin, 6-methoxypodophylloyoxin, and β-peltatin, were identified. This is the first report of the analysis of L. mucronatum ssp. mucronatum.__________Published in Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 24–25, January–February, 2005.     

Method for determination of methyl tert-butyl ether in gasoline by gas chromatography

A simple method for the determination of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in gasoline has been developed. The separation of MTBE from other analytes was controlled by the use of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry in the full scan mode using the characteristic primary, secondary and tertiary ions m/z 73, 57 and 43. The sample mass spectrum did not show any superimposition of other analytes. The separation from the common gasoline component 2-methylpentane was sufficient for reliable quantitation. An application of the developed conditions using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection was performed by the analysis of regular, euro super, super premium unleaded and ‘Optimax’ gasoline from petrol stations in the area of Frankfurt/Main, Germany. Regular unleaded gasoline shows an average MTBE content of 0.4% (w/w), whereas the MTBE content in euro super gasoline varies between 0.4 and 4.2% (w/w). The blending of MTBE to super premium has increased from 8.2% (w/w) in 1998 to 9.8% (w/w) on average in 1999. The recently introduced gasoline ‘Optimax’ shows an average MTBE content of 11.9% (w/w). The presented method might also be used for the analysis of other ethers, such as ethyl tert-butyl ether, which requires the use of another internal standard.