Constituents of the essential oil of <i>myrtus communis</i> L. from Iran

Abstract

Abstract The main constituents of the essential oil from Myrtus communis L. from Iran are the monoterpenes α‐pinene (35%), 1,8‐cineole (28%), limonene (11%), linalol (9%), α‐terpineol (5%), and linalyl acetate (2%). In the distillation residue of the oil some trace constituents were identified: 3,3,5,5,8,8‐hexamethyl‐7‐oxabicyclo[4,3.0] non‐1(6)‐ene‐2,4‐dione ( 1 ), the 4‐isobutyl‐ ( 2 ) and 4‐isobutenyl‐5‐acetoxy‐4‐hydroxy‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethylcyclohexan‐1,3‐dione ( 3 ), 4‐acetoxy‐3‐hydroxy‐3‐senecioyl‐2,2,5,5‐tetramethylcyclopentan‐1‐one ( 4 ), the known peroxide 5 (G3), and, obviously as artefacts, the ( Z )‐ and ( E )‐4‐(2‐hydroxy‐2‐methylpropylidene)‐2,2,5,5‐tetramethylcyclopentan‐l,3‐dione ( 6 ). The structures of the compounds 1–6 were confirmed by their 1 H‐ and 13 C‐NMR spectra.