Abstract
Siparuna guianensis Aublet is a predominant species in the Brazilian Cerrado. Some studies found that its essential oil has properties that could be useful for manufacturing new products. Its quality depends on physicochemical properties, since its degradation, as well as water content and other volatile materials may cause several changes in its features. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to determine the water content in the S. guianensis essential oil in order to evaluate its thermal parameters. The method is based on the hypothesis that the desolvation enthalpy (ΔH desol ) needed for removing n water moles from the essential oil is approximately the enthalpy needed for melting the same n water moles (nΔH f ). Thus, the current study considers the dissociation enthalpy (ΔH diss ) to be negligible. The total number of moles was calculated from the molecular mass value of the main essential oil components mentioned in the literature. The DSC curve in nitrogen atmosphere indicated the melting temperature of 1.6°C (ΔH=18.95 Jg -1 ). Based on the dehydration enthalpies demonstrated in the DSC curve, it was possible to infer that the calculations on the number of water moles and other constant volatile materials found in the S. guianensis essential oil were compatible with Karl Fischer Titration (KFT) method. This method is commonly used to determine the water content in substances. Key words: Siparuna guianensis , differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analyses.
Highlights
The physicochemical properties of the essential oils are crucial in the development of new products
Based on the dehydration enthalpies demonstrated in the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) curve, it was possible to infer that the calculations on the number of water moles and other constant volatile materials found in the S. guianensis essential oil were compatible with Karl Fischer Titration (KFT) method
Thermoanalytical featuring of the S. guianensis essential oil Figure 1 shows the DSC curve
Summary
The physicochemical properties of the essential oils are crucial in the development of new products. Featuring the active ingredient may optimize quality parameters, ensure effectiveness and decrease the presence of water, impurities and/or degradation compounds. Thermal analysis methods, especially DSC and TG, have been used to feature the study, development and quality control of medications in general (Shamsipur, 2013). This work applied these techniques to feature moisture contents in the study on the essential oil from Siparuna guianensis. It is a plant widely used in the Northern and Northeastern Brazilian regions due to its ethnobotanical properties such as antipyretic and decongestant and to its importance to healthcare. The current study aimed to determine the thermal featuring parameters and the number of water moles per mole in the S. guianensis essential oil
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