Eugenol sassafras

Strike wrote the above paragraph relying on the few accounts of sassafras oil content that Strike had at the time. Since then. Strike has come across more substantial data showing that Brazilian sassafras has NO eugenol in it. This agrees with the claims of many bees who have stated that no appreciable recovery of... 

If one is absolutely serious about ultra pure safrole then it can be separated from the eugenol-free sassafras oil by treatment with mercuric acetate [1,2,3,4] which likes that terminal double bond that only safrole has. The Hg(AcO)2 latches on to safrole at that double bond bringing it into solution as a solid sort of like the way that eugenol was. The safrole can then be separated from its still oily buddies by vacuum filtration. Safrole is then regenerated to its normal oily form by treatment with hydrochloric acid (HCI) which flicks the Hg(AcO)2 off the safrole and the safrole double bond reforms. As it so happens, the mercuric acetate also reforms intact so that it can be reused again such as in one of those... 

Added 112 grams sassafras oil. Shake for a couple of minutes. You get an orangish emulsion. Clears within 15 minutes forming two layers, bottom layer oil, top layer acetic acid, eugenol + the other solubles. Separated the oil from the others, washed the oil layer 2x with fresh C//-/2O. Weight after acetic acid water washes 101.5 (-10.5 grams). 

A much more forgiving yet limited extraction method can be used to isolate phenol species such as eugenol and chavicol. You see farther back in this chapter where one can use dilute NaOH to remove eugenol from sassafras oil Well, why not use it to isolate the damn things for further research. It works like a charm ... 

Determination of the phenols is of special importance in the analysis of hop (carvacrol), thyme, ajOwan (thymol), aniseed, badiana, fennel (anethole), clove bud and stem (eugenol) and sassafras oils (safrole). 

The methylene ether corresponding to eugenole is known as safrole and is the chief constituent of oil of sassafras. Its alpha isomer is iso-safrole. 

Sassafras Oil This is a little squirrelly for me. Until I did the research for this book I was relying on one source for the info on the contents of sassafras oil [Guenther]. I guess a lot of people used his reference to allude that North American sassafras (Sassafras albidum) had a eugenol content of around 10%. Guenthertookhis research from the 1930-40 s or earlier. Their methods of analysis back then were rather crude when compared to today. Yet I have seen the analysis results of essential oil components from very recent articles using NMR, GC and MS get thoroughly trashed by someone with a more sophisticated instrument. 

What r m trying to say is that people have been constantly proving and disproving the components of essential oils to this very day. And in all of the recent articles on sassafras oil I have found absolutely no detection of eugenol except in trace amounts. Interesting ... 

The entire plant of the Chinese drug Toko gave 14 per cent of oil, with a sassafras-like odour, specific gravity 1.0788, [a]D +5° 3, saponification value 0. A terpene-like body, eugenol, and safrole were detected. 

Definition Volatile oil obtained from root of Sassafras officinale, contg. about 80% safrol, plus eugenol, pinene, phellandrene, sesquiterpene, d-camphor... 

The Olefinic Substrates The highly iso-regioselective hydroformylation of allyl- or propenylarenes (phenylpropanoids) gives aldehydes with numerous applications in flavors and perfumes. Several 2-aryl-prop-1-enes required as substrates can be extracted from natural sources in a rather pure form (Figure 6.8). For example, eugenol, with its typical spicy, clove like aroma, can be isolated from clove oil, nutmeg, cinnamon, basil, and bay leaf. Safrol (shikimol) is isolated from sassafras plants and has a typical sweet-shop aroma. Estragole (methyl chavicol) is produced from basil oil and chavicol from betel oil. 

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