Determination of Phenolic (Eugenol) content of Clove oil

1. EXPERIMENT 6.
DETERMINATION OF EUGENOL
CONTENT OF CLOVE OIL.
By
Mrs. Poonam N. Chougule
Assistant Professor and HOD of Pharmacognosy department
AMCP, Peth-Vadgaon.

2. Aim: To determine the amount of Eugenol
present in the given clove oil.
 Principle: Eugenol , a phenol occurs in the oil of
clove and is used as local anesthetic against
tooth ache.
 The determination eugenol depends on the fact
that phenolic compounds containing volatile oil
are reduced in volume, when shaken with
potassium hydroxide, due to the solubility of
phenols in alkali, but non- phenolic portion of
the oil remains undissolved in potassium
hydroxide solution. By using, cassia flask, the
non- phenolic portion of the oil can be
determined by difference in the volume of the
phenolic portion, it can be calculated.

3. Procedure:
 Transfer from a burette, 10ml of clove oil into a
cassia flask.
 Add 100 ml of potassium hydroxide solution (5%
w/v of aqueous).
 Heat on a boiling water bath for 15min. With
occasional shaking, cool and set aside until a clear
oily layer is separated.
 Raise the oily layer to the graduated part using
aqueous potassium hydroxide solution (5%).
 Determine the volume of the non-phenolic portion
and calculate the volume of phenolic constituents.

4. Calculation:
 Eugenol + Aq. KOH Potassium
eugenate + H2O
 Report:The amount of phenolic compound
(eugenol) present in the clove oil was found
to be---------.