Chemical Constituents of Essential Oil from the Leaves of Phyllanthus muellerianus (O. Kuntze) Exell

Abstract

The chemical compounds identified in the essential oil hydrodisitlled from the leaves of Phyllanthus muellerianus (O. Kuntze) Exell (family Euphorbiaceae) are being reported in this study. The essential oil was analysed comprehensively by means of gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) using HP-5 column. The light yellow essential oil was obtained in a 0.12 % (v/w), calculated on a dry weight basis. The main classes of compounds present in the leaf oil were sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (75.1 %) and oxygenated sesquiterpenes (20.1 %). The major constituents of the leaf oil were mainly sesquiterpene hydrocarbon compounds represented by β-caryophyllene (41.9 %), germacrene D (9.6 %) and α-humulene (7.4 %), as well as oxygenated sesquiterpene compounds comprising caryophyllene oxide (9.1 %) and (E)-nerolidol (6.0 %).

Key words:

• Phyllanthus muellerianus
• essential oil
• GC/MS
• sesquiterpenes