Chemical variability of the needle oil of Juniperus communis ssp. alpina from Corsica

Chem Biodivers. 2009 Dec;6(12):2192-9. doi: 10.1002/cbdv.200800301.

Abstract

The composition of 109 samples of essential oil isolated from the needles of Juniperus communis ssp. alpina growing wild in Corsica was investigated by GC (in combination with retention indices), GC/MS, and 13C-NMR. Forty-four compounds accounting for 86.7-96.7% of the oil were identified. The oils consisted mainly of monoterpene hydrocarbons, in particular, limonene (9.2-53.9%), beta-phellandrene (3.7-25.2%), alpha-pinene (1.4-33.7%), and sabinene (0.1-33.6%). The 109 oil compositions were submitted to k-means partitioning and principal component analysis, which allowed the distinction of two groups within the oil samples. The composition of the major group (92% of the samples) was dominated by limonene and beta-phellandrene, while the second group contained mainly sabinene beside limonene and beta-phellandrene.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bicyclic Monoterpenes
  • Cyclohexenes / chemistry
  • France
  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
  • Juniperus / chemistry*
  • Limonene
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Monoterpenes / chemistry
  • Oils, Volatile / chemistry*
  • Plant Leaves / chemistry
  • Principal Component Analysis
  • Terpenes / chemistry

Substances

  • Bicyclic Monoterpenes
  • Cyclohexenes
  • Monoterpenes
  • Oils, Volatile
  • Terpenes
  • sabinene
  • Limonene