Unusual Alkynes Found in the Essential Oil ofArtemisia dracunculusL. var.dracunculusfrom the Pacific Northwest

The volatile oil of Artemisia dracunculus L. var. dracunculus grown in Oregon was obtained by steam distillation and analyzed by GC/MS. The chemical composition of the oil was very different than the typical oil of tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L. var. sativa), with very little (0.1%) methyl chavicol detected. The main components found were terpinolene (25.4%) and (Z)-β-ocimene (22.2%). Perhaps the most interesting characteristic of the oil was the presence of two unusual and rarely occurring alkynes, 5-phenyl-1, 3-pentadiyne (11.7%) and 6-phenyl-2, 4-hexadiyne (also known as capillene) (4.8%)