Gas chromatographic analysis of essential oil from buds of different birch species with preliminary partition of components

Abstract

The results of gas chromatographic analysis of essential oils from the buds of four birch forms growing in Karelia are reported. This includes 61 compounds, some of which have been identified for the first time in these oils. Differences in the composition of sesquiterpenes in the essential oils from B. pubescens and B. pendula were recorded. In the case of B. pendula, compounds of the cadinane and selinane groups are prevalent. In the essential oils from the buds of B. pubescens, compounds of the caryophyllane and humulane groups and the methanoazulene C 10H 16 hydrocarbon cedrane are the major components. A new algorithm is proposed to increase the reliability of the identification of individual compounds. It is based on the simultaneous use of retention indices and partition coefficients of components in the n-hexane–acetonitrile heterogenic system. In the first stage, the components of the mixture are assigned to certain homologous series and in the second stage they are identified within these series. The advantages and limitations of this algorithm are discussed.