title: Analysis of essential oils of Artemisia absinthium L. from Lithuania by CC, GC(RI), GC-MS and 13C NMR.
abstract: Different techniques have been utilized to determine the composition of Artemisia absinthum (wormwood) essential oil. The oil was fractionated on a silica gel column and each fraction analyzed by GC(RI), GC-MS and 13C NMR. This allowed the identification, for the first time in A. absinthium, of two diterpenes, 9-geranyl-p-cymene and 9-geranyl-alpha-terpinene, and two homoditerpenes, 9-(15,16-dihydro-15-methylene)-geranyl-p-cymene and 9-(15,16-dihydro-15-methylene)-geranyl-alpha-terpinene. Chemical variability of A. absinthium essential oils from plants collected in the surroundings of Vilnius city over several years (1999-2007) was also shown. Chemical composition was determined by GC and GC-MS. Thujones (cis+trans, 10.2-36.3%) and trans-sabinyl acetate (9.8-39.2%) were the two predominant constituents of almost all the investigated oils (13 out of 15 samples). The third major compound was myrcene (5.1-9.2%, in four samples), beta-pinene (5.4-10.4%, in 5), linalool (4.7% in one), trans-sabinol (6.4%, in one) and 1,8-cineole (5.2-7.1%, in two). In one oil, the prevailing components were thujones (cis+trans, 11.2%), trans-sabinene hydrate (11.0%) and trans-sabinyl acetate (8.8%), while another sample was characterized by a large quantity of trans-sabinyl acetate (55.2%) and the absence of thujones.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemistry, Vilnius, Lithuania. judzent@ktl.mii.lt
authors.forename: Asta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Judzentiene
authors.forename: Félix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tomi
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Casanova
mesh_terms: D000080462:Acyclic Monoterpenes; D031171:Artemisia absinthium / Q000737:chemistry*; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000379:methods; D004224:Diterpenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017753:Ecosystem; D005054:Eugenol / Q000302:isolation & purification; D035264:Flowers / Q000737:chemistry; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D008097:Lithuania; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018514:Plant Structures / Q000737:chemistry; D013045:Species Specificity; D013729:Terpenes / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D000080462:Acyclic Monoterpenes; D004224:Diterpenes; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D013729:Terpenes; D005054:Eugenol; C007836:geraniol