Potential antitermite compounds from Juniperus procera extracts

Thin layer chromatography (TLC) analysis revealed that destructive distilla tion of Juniperus procera tree gave ten major components, whereas Croton me galocarpus tree yielded five components. This was confirmed by gas chromato graphy (GC). The components were isolated by column chromatography and anal ysed using infrared, ultra-violet, visible and mass spectroscopy (MS) techn iques. The whole extract was about 30.3% of the starting material (sawdust) and consisted of 77.5% water and 22.5% oily reddish-brown layer. The extra cts had alcoholic and phenolic compounds together with acids. Cedrol, a ter tiary tricyclic alcohol, was found to be in the greatest proportion in the oily layer. IR spectra with a peak beyond 3000 cm(-1), UV-VIS absorption ma xima at 230 nm and mass spectra with mle 204 suggested the presence of cedr ene in the extract. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.