Análise de óleos essenciais de origem vegetal por cromatografia em fase gasosa: determinação dos principais constituintes dos óleos essenciais de eucaliptos de Namaacha, Marracuene e Mahotas

Abstract

The present work was carried out at the Laboratory of the Faculty of Sciences, Department of Chemistry at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane. It had the collaboration of the Royal Institute of Technology of Stockholm, Sweden, in confirming the experimental results. It is a continuation of the study on the efficiency of extracting essential oils from various Eucalyptus species from fresh leaves. The samples were collected in Marracuene, Namaacha and Mahotas and consist of shoots that grow after cutting the adult plant, as they give higher yields and produce good quality oils [22]. Quantitative knowledge of the composition of essential oils is deepened in order to decide on their commercial values ​​and on a possible feasibility study for the exploitation of these resources. The leaves are all from young plants (sprouts) and were allowed to dry for 3 days before starting the extraction of the essential oil. For this purpose, the Clevenger Apparatus was used. The methods used are Thin Layer Chromatography (LCC) and Gas Chromatography (CFG), which are the main means and the TLC an analysis aid. The results achieved, in general, reflect the yields and percentages internationally considered normal and, it is considered that E. Saligna de Marracuene and E. Citriodora have good percentages of a-pinene and Citronelal, respectively. E. Paniculata and E. Grandis only have academic value, due to the oil yields. In this way, knowledge about Chromatography was deepened, in particular CFGe and CCF, reviewed the importance of eucalyptus trees, the extraction and determination of the existing components in their oils, as well as an appreciation of the results achieved in 1996 on E. Camaldulensis. (TRADUÇÃO NOSSA)