COLUMN AND GAS CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF OIL OF WILD GINGER: IDENTIFICATION AND ESTIMATION OF SOME NEW CONSTITUENTS

Abstract

Oil of wild ginger was found to contain the following as yet unreported constituents: β-pinene, Δ 3 -carene, β-caryophyllene, ar-curcumene, linalool, borneol, and α-terpineol. The presence of three ketones, one of them readily generated during gas chromatographic analysis from a non-ketonic sesquiterpenoid, was also demonstrated. Formation of a sesquiterpene alcohol as a compositional artefact of the oil occurred during column chromatography over alumina.