Isolation of the Essential Oils from Common Spices and Spectroscopic Analysis of Their Major Constituents

Title: Isolation of the Essential Oils from Common Spices and Spectroscopic Analysis of Their Major Constituents

Objectives:

1. To extract essential oils from cinnamon.

2. To determine the essential oil contents in cinnamon.

3. To analysis the major constituent of the essential oil by infra-red

and mass spectroscopic methods.

Apparatus and Reagents Used :

1.Ethyl ethanoate(50cm3)

2.Anhydrous CaCl2

3.Mortar and pestle

4.Water condenser

5.Electric hot plate

6.Apparatus for simple distillation

7.Filtering funnel

8.Oil bath

9.100 cm3 Round-bottomed flask

10.Weighting balance

11.Spices(cinnamon)

The Principles:

1. Using distillation to extract essential oils from cinnamon

This is the most commonly used method for producing majority of the true essential oils. The basic principle is that steam produced by heating water carries the most volatile chemicals of the aromatic material with it. A condenser is used to chill the steam and the resultant distillate is collected. The essential oil, in most of the cases, will be found floating on top of the distilled water component (the hydrosol) and can be separated easily.

2. Reflux

The small pieces of cinnamon is heated in order to transform its solid state to liquid state for further extraction of the essential oils.

3. Ethyl Ethanoate

To act as a solvent to dissolve the cinnamon. It will be removed after distillation.

4. Anti-bumping granules

To allow a continues, even formation and release of vapour bubbles and energy, giving rise to a smooth boiling action.

5. Anhydrous CaCl2

To absorb and remove the residual water from the organic solution.

Procedures:

1. 5.05 g of was cinnamon weighed and grinded into small pieces with mortar and pestle. Cinnamon was then transferred into a 50-cm3 round- bottomed flask.15 anti-bumping granules were added to the flask.

2.