Chemical composition of essential oil of white basil, grown with different nitrogen levels it was studied by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC/FID) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The extraction of the essential oil was carried out to samples of fresh and dry leaves, being obtained a significant decrease in the yield and in the content of certain compounds such as the eugenol in the dry samples. The results also show that soil enrichment with nitrogen doesn´t have significant effect on the yield or the chemical composition of essential oil.

La composición química del aceite esencial de albahaca blanca, cultivada con diferentes niveles de nitrógeno fue estudiada por cromatografía de gases-detector de ionización de llama, (GC/FID) y cromatografía de gases acoplada a espectrometría de masas (GC/MS). La extracción del aceite esencial se realizó a muestras de hojas frescas y secas, obteniéndose una disminución significativa en el rendimiento y en el contenido de ciertos compuestos tales como el eugenol en las muestras secas. Los resultados muestran además que un enriquecimiento del suelo con nitrógeno no tiene efecto significativo sobre el rendimiento o la composición química del aceite esencial.

Essential oils from M. richardiana, M. arborescens, M. selloi, M. oligantha, M. rostrata, M. lajeana, M. obtecta, M. pubipetala and M. hatschbachii were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Sixty-seven compounds have been identified ranging from 90-99% of the oil contents. All analyzed species were rich in cyclic sesquiterpenes (66-99%), mainly those from the cadinane, caryophyllane and germacrane cyclization pathway, among them b-caryophyllene, germacrene D, bicyclogermacrene, d-cadinene, spathulenol, caryophyllene oxide, globulol and a-cadinol. The acyclic sesquiterpene series was well represented by M. lajeana (32.1%), with 25,3% of (E)-nerolidyl acetate.

Os óleos essenciais de Calyptranthes concinna, C. lucida e C. rubella, coletadas no sul do Brasil, foram analisados por GC/FID e GC/MS. Sessenta e dois constituintes foram identificados representando cerca de 98% do óleo. Todas as amostras mostraram-se ricas em sesquiterpenos cíclicos (mais de 90%), principalmente aquelas da via de ciclização dos cadinanos, bisabolanos e germacranos. Os principais constituintes caracterizados foram biciclogermacreno (22,1% em C. concinna; 11,7% em C. rubella), cis-calameneno (10,3% em C. concinna), betacariofileno (16,5% em C. rubella; 9,4% em C. lucida), beta-bisaboleno (25,5% em C. lucida), espatulenol (15,4% em C. rubella) e óxido de cariofileno (7,6% em C. concinna).

Essential oils from Calyptranthes concinna, C. lucida and C. rubella, collected in Southern Brazil, were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Sixty-two compounds were identified representing about 98% of the oil contents. All samples were rich in cyclic sesquiterpenes (more than 90 %), mainly those from cadinane, bisabolane and germacrane cyclization pathway. The mainly components characterized were bicyclogermacrene (22.1% in C. concinna;11.7% in C. rubella), cis-calamenene (10.3% in C. concinna), beta-caryophyllene (16.5% in C. rubella; 9.4% in C. lucida), beta-bisabolene (25.5% in C. lucida), spathulenol (15.4% in C. rubella) and caryophyllene oxide (7.6% in C. concinna).