Enantiomeric compositions of monoterpene hydrocarbons in different tissues of four individuals of Pinus sylvestris

Abstract

The relative amounts of volatiles, mainly monoterpene hydrocarbons, were determined in eight different tissues of each of four individuals of Pinus sylvestris. The four trees represented widely different monoterpene compositions. Two-dimensional gas chromatography, using columns with stationary phases containing functionalized cyclodextrins, allowed the determination of the enantiomeric compositions of seven major chiral monoterpene hydrocarbons. Large differences in the relative amounts of the monoterpene hydrocarbons as well as in their enantiomeric compositions were found both within and between individuals. The extremely large relative amounts of (+)-3-carene or (−)-limonene found in the samples of 1-year-old phloem and bark of branches and in the shoots of some of the trees were not found in the xylem of the trunk or root or in the needles of the same trees. Only the (+)-enantiomer of 3-carene was detected. The (−)-enantiomers of β-pinene, sabinene and β-phellandrene dominated over the corresponding (+)-enantiomers in all samples.