Volatile constituents of essential oils of Eleocharis pauciflora (Light) Link and Eleocharis uniglumis (Link) J.A. Schultes growing wild in Iran

Abstract

The investigation of the volatile compounds of essential oils of Eleocharis pauciflora (Light) Link and Eleocharis uniglumis (Link) J.A. Shultes by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) led to the identification of 20 and 23 compounds, respectively. The presented essential oils were characterized by the abundance of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenated sesquiterpenes, while the fraction of monterpenens was low. The main constituents of E. pauciflora essential oil were cyperene (35.4%), cyperotundone (12.7%), isorotundene (9.3%) and cyperol (7.8%). Essential oil of E. uniglumis was dominated by cyperene (28.8%), cyperotundone (8.9%), isorotundene (8.7%), cyperol (8.5%), isocyperol (6%) and α-cubebene (4.6%).

KEY WORDS: Eleocharis uniglumis (Light) Link, Eleocharis pauciflora (Link) J.A. Shultes, Essential oil, Cyperene, Cyperotundone

Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2011, 25(3), 461-464.