Estudio químico del aceite esencial de Bixa orellana

Abstract

Abstract: In this end-of-degree project, the essential oil obtained from the leaves of the Bixa orellana species is studied. Leaf moisture was 63.8 ± 0.45 % and was determined using a thermobalance. The essential oil of Bixa orellana was obtained by steam distillation giving a yield of 0.13 ± 0.01%. The physical properties of the oil were determined with the AFNOR standards, thus obtaining a density of 0.8884 ± 0.0063 g/cm3, a refractive index of 1.4714 ± 0.0145 and an optical activity of +12.48 ± 0. .02. The chemical composition of the essential oil was determined by gas chromatography. The identification of the compounds was based on the retention index, in total 56 compounds were identified, corresponding to 99.27% &#8203;&#8203;of the total composition of the essential oil. The major compounds (> 5%) were: germacrene D (17.87%), bicyclogermacrene (14.27%), caryophyllene <(E)-> (8.56%), pinene <&#945;-> (6.34 %), among other relevant compounds are cadinene <&#948;-> (4.98%), pinene <&#946;-> (4.11%), ishwarane (3.18%), spathulenol (2.74%), farnesene <(E,E) a-> (2.60%) and viridiflorene (2.44%). The chirality of the compounds was identified using an enantiomeric column. Being identified two pairs of enantiomers which were: globulol and spathulenol.