Chemical composition of essential oils from bark and leaves of individual trees of Ravensara aromatica Sonnerat

Abstract : The chemical composition of essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation of leaves and bark (taken individually, tree by tree) of Ravensara aromatica Sonnerat of Madagascar was investigated by gas chromatography and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Results were treated by principal component analysis. Four chemotypes highlighted about leaves in an earlier work were confirmed: chemotype 1 (> 90% methyl chavicol), chemotype 2 (72-80% methyl eugenol), chemotype 3 (25-28% α-terpinene) and chemotype 4 (25-34% sabinene). The chemical composition of R. aromatica bark is in all cases characterized by a high amount of methyl chavicol (83-98%), whatever the chemotype. One can conclude that the bark oil of R. aromatica corresponds to the oil described previously under the name "oil of R anisata."