Components of the essential oils of Azadirachta indica A. Juss, Azadirachta siamensis Velton, and Azadirachta excelsa (Jack) Jacobs and their comparison

Abstract

The components of the essential oils from seeds of Azadirachta indica, Azadirachta siamensis, and Azadirachta excelsa were studied by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The main components of A. indica oil were hexadecanoic acid (34.0%), oleic acid (15.7%), 5,6-dihydro-2,4,6-triethyl-(4H)-1,3,5-dithiazine (11.7%), methyl oleate (3.8%), and eudesm7(11)-en-4-ol (2.7%). The major components of A. siamensis oil were hexadecanoic acid (52.2%), tricosane (10.5%), tetradecanoic acid (6.8%), oleic acid (4.9%), and pentacosane (4.9%). Azadirachta excelsa oil contained oleic acid (31.3%), hexadecanoic acid (14.2%), octadecanoic acid (13.0%), 4-octylphenol (9.7%), and O-methyloximedecanal (6.8%) as the main constituents. The essential oils from A. indica, A. siamensis, and A. excelsa were found to contain fatty acids (52.6%-72.3%) as major components. The minor components of the oils were n-alkanes, aromatics, esters, sulfur and nitrogen compounds, and terpenoids. Differences in oil composition were observed between the three species. © The Japan Wood Research Society 2005.