The chemical composition study of the essential oil extracted from the aerial parts (leaves, inflorescences, and stem) of the Syrian plant Euphorbia helioscopia L.

Abstract

The aerial parts of the plant Euphorbia helioscopia L , locally known as Al-Jijan ,  were collected from the Al-Hamdaniya area in Aleppo Governorate, and the essential oils were extracted using a Clevenger apparatus. The yield of the essential oil extracted from the sample of leaves and inflorescences was (0.014%), while the yield of the essential oil extracted from the sample of stem was (0.022%). The chemical composition of the essential oils was determined using the GC/MS device.

The essential oil from the sample of leaves and inflorescences contained 67 compounds, representing 97.6% of the total essential oil. The main compounds were as follows:  6,10,14-trimethyl-2-Pentadecanone (12.6%), Benzene acetaldehyde (11%), 4-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1-cyclohexen-1-yl)-3-Buten-2-one (9.4%), Nonanal (7.9%), 1-Methylcycloheptanol (6%), Caryophyllene oxide (5.7%).

In contrast, the essential oil from the stem sample contained 46 compounds, representing 97.8% of the total essential oil. The main compounds were as follows: Caryophyllene oxide (21.1%), Nonadecane (12%), n-Hexadecanoic acid (7.2%), Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate(6.4%), Heptacosane (6.1%).

The chemical compounds in the essential oils extracted from the aerial parts of this plant varied between hydrocarbons, oxygenated, and nitrogenous compounds. The oxygenated compounds had the highest percentage, followed by hydrocarbons.