Chemical, chromatographic, and thermal analysis of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is mainly known for its cooking qualities , but it possesses an essential oil with pharmacological properties. Moreov er, this plant was the start of forest fires in Provence, France. The prese nce of biopolymers can contribute to electrical energy production by biomas s combustion. The aim of this work was to study a stalk of rosemary during its biological cycle (November 1998 to June 1999). The chemical analysis (w ater, mineral ashes, cellulose, lignin, holocellulose, and extractives) sho wed few variations during this period. Leaves and branches differentiated t hemselves according to their chemical composition. Analyzed by chromatograp hy gas-liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) and gas-liquid chrom atography/flam ionization detector (GC-FID), the essential oil of this rose mary had a high level of camphor (30-45%), which could be used in new thera peutics (cardiac and respiratory analeptic). Finally, the simultaneous ther mal analysis (DTA-TG) was run on the fresh plants and the dried powdered sa mples. Several kinetic constants of the biopolymers had been computed: acti vation energies of cellulose and holocellulose. During heating, the rosemar y's lignin decomposed more than others plants, thereby increasing the fire risks. The chemical, chromatographic, and thermal analysis run on the rosem ary could be applied on other species in the Mediterranean basin. (C) 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 747-756, 2002.