Composition of the essential oil of flowers ofChloranthus spicatus (Thunb.) Makino

The composition of the essential oil of the flowers of Chloranthus spicatus (Thunb.) Makino (Chloranthaceae) was investigated using capillary GC-GC/MS, preparative GC and NMR techniques. Forty-seven compounds were identified either by comparing their retention indices and mass spectra with a library of authentic samples established under identical experimental conditions or, by isolating the compounds and deriving their structures by one- and two-dimensional NMR investigations. Thus, four minor components, viz. chloranthalactone A (0.5%), isogermafurenolide (0.7%), eudesma-4(15),7(11),9-trien-12-olide (0.5%), and 7α-hydroxyeudesm-4-en-6-one (3.3%), were isolated for the first time as constituents of the essential oil of the flowers of C. spicatus and their structures established. The major components of the oil include (Z)-β-ocimene (6.3%), allo-aromadendrene (6.2%), sarisane (2-allyl-4,5-methylenedioxyanisol, 4.2%) and selina-4(15),7(11)-diene (6.4%).