VOLATILE CONSTITUENTS OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF MONODORA-MYRISTICA (GAERTN) DUNAL

The essential oil of Monodora myristica was obtained by steam distilla tion with a yield of 45.6 g kg-1. The composition of the oil was analy sed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Th e oil was found to contain 75 % monoterpene hydrocarbons, the major co mpounds being alpha-phellandrene (50.4 %), alpha-pinene (5.5 %) and my rcene (4.35 %). There were also a few sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (3 %) and oxygenated compounds such as germacrene-D-4-ol (9.5 %). Germacren e-D-4-ol, alpha-pinene, DELTA2-carene, beta-caryophyllene, valencene, gamma-muurolol and carvacryl acetate have not previously been reported in M myristica.