Abstract
The volatile oil obtained by hydrodistillation of the roots of Carissa opaca was analyzed by GC and GC/MS to study its composition. Thirty-five compounds representing 98.3% of the oil were identified. Si-gel chromatography of the oil yielded 2-hydroxyacetophenone, which was characterized by spectral methods (1H-, 13C-NMR and mass), as the main component, amounting to 89.5% of the oil.