Volatile oil

1. VOLATILE OILS
Presented By: Miss Smita R.Mankar
Assignment proff At P.R Patil Institute of pharmacy Talegaon
sp wardha

2. • VOLATILE OILS
• THE ODOROUS, VOLATILE PRINCIPLES OF PLANT AND ANIMAL SOURCES ARE KNOWN AS
VOLATILE OILS.
• AS THEY EVAPORATE, WHEN EXPOSED TO AIR AT ORDINARY TEMPERATURES, THEYARE
ALSO CALLED AS ETHEREAL OILS.
• THEY REPRESENTESSENCE OR ACTIVE CONSTITUENT OF PLANT, HENCE THEYARE ALSO
KNOWN AS 'ESSENTIAL OILS. CHEMICALLY, THEY ARE DERIVED FROM TERPENESAND
THEIR OXYGENATED COMPOUNDS.
• THEY ARE MADE UP OF ISOPRENE UNITS (C,H,)AND ARE USUALLY MONO-, SESQUI- AND
DITERPENES WITH EMPIRICAL FORMULAE AS C10H16 C15H24 AND C20H32 RESPECTIVELY.
• VOLATILE OILS ARE SOLUBLE IN ALCOHOL, ETHERAND OTHER LIPID SOLVENTS AND
PRACTICALLY INSOLUBLE IN WATER. THEYARE USUALLY LIGHTER THAN WATER.
• THEY POSSESS CHARACTERISTIC ODOUR AND THEY ARE CHARACTERISED BY HIGH
REFRACTIVE INDICES.

3. • MOST OF THEM ARE OPTICALLY ACTIVE.
• THEY ARE SECRETED IN SPECIAL STRUCTURES SUCH AS DUCTS, CELLS, SCHIZOGENOUS
OR LYSIGENOUS GLANDS, TRICHOMES ETC. THEY ARE COMMONLY FOUND IN THE
SPECIES OF LABIATAE, RUTACEAE, PIPERACEAE, ZINGIBERACEAE, MYRTACEAE FRO
ARDI ATI UG AND LAURACEAE.
• THEY ARE PRESENT IN ENTIRE PLANT OR IN ANY PART OF PLANT

4. • VOLATILE OILS DIFFER FROM FIXED OILS IN THE FOLLOWING:
• 1. VOLATILE OILS ARE FRAGRANT, WHILE FIXED OILS ARE NOT.
• 2. FIXED OILS ARE NUTRITIVE (HIGH CALONES), WHILE VOLATILE OILS ARE NON-
NUTRITIVE
• 3. VOLATILE OILS CAN BE DISTILLED, WHILE FIXED OILS CANNOT
• .4. FIXED OILS CONSIST OF GLYCERYL ESTERS OF FATTY ACIDS, WHILE VOLATILE
OILS CONSIST OF TERPENES
• .5. FIXED OILS CAN LEAVE PERMANENT GREASE SPOTS ON A FILTER PAPER, WHILE
VOLATILE OILS CANNOT.
• 6. FIXED OILS CAN BE SAPONIFIED WITH ALKALIES, WHILE VOLATILE OILS CANNOT.
• 7. ON EXPOSURE TO LIGHT AND AIR, FIXED OILS BECOME RANCID, WHILE VOLATILE
OILS UNDERGO OXIDATION AND RESINIFICATION.

5. • OCCURRENCEAND DISTRIBUTION
• MAJORITY OF VOLATILE ARE PRESENT IN THE PLANTS AND IS USUALLY
CONTAINED IN SOME SPECIAL SECRETORYTISSUES,
• FOR EXAMPLE- THE OIL DUCTS OF UMBELLIFEROUS FRUITS, THE OIL CELLS OR
OIL GLANDS OCCURRING IN THE SUB- EPIDERMAL TISSUE OF THE LEMON AND
ORANGE, LEAVES, TRICHOMES OF SEVERAL PLANTS ETC.
• AND COMMONLY FOUND IN
LABITAC(TULSI),RUTACEAE(ORANGE.LEMON).PIPERACEAE(BLACKPEPPER).ZINGI
BERACEAC(CARDAMOM) UMBELLIFERAC(CORIANDER, FENNEL) ETC.-
• LEAVES- (EUCALYPTUS OIL, LEMON GRASS OIL)
• .FLOWERING TOPS- (PEPPERMINT OIL, ROSEMARYOIL, CINTRONELLA OIL).
• STEM BARKS OR WOODS- (CINNAMON, TAXUS, CAMPHOR OIL, SANDAL
OIL).FRUITING BODY- (CHENOPODIUM OIL, CORIANDER, CARAWAY, FENNEL).
ZOME-(CALAMUS). SEEDS (ANNATTO),

6. • PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF VOLATILE OILS:
• 1. ALMOST WITH FRAGRANT ODOURS
• 2. EASILY VOLATILIZED AT ROOM TEMPERATURE.
• 3. LIQUIDS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE EXCEPT ANISE OIL (SOLID UNTIL 15°C AND
MELTS AT 16°,) AND ROSE OIL (SOLID UNTIL 18 °C AND MELTS AT 19 °C).
• 4. COLORLESS LIQUIDS BUT SOME OILS ARE COLORED, E.G. CHAMOMILE OIL
(BLUE IN COLOR)
• ,5. THEIR DENSITY IS LOWER THAN WATER, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF CLOVE AND
CINNAMON OILS ARE HEAVIER THAN WATER
• 6. THEY SHOW HIGH REFRACTIVE INDICES AND OPTICALLY ACTIVE
• .7. SOLUBLE IN MOST ORGANIC SOLVENTS.
• 8. SPARINGLY SOLUBLE IN WATER, HOWEVER, THEY ARE SOLUBLE ENOUGH TO
IMPART A DISTINCT FRAGRANCE TO WATER.

7. • IDENTIFICATION TESTS OF VOLATILE OILS
• NATURAL DRUGS CONTAINING VOLATILE OILS CAN BE TESTED BY FOLLOWING
CHEMICAL TESTS:
• 1. THIN SECTION OF DRUG ON TREATMENT WITH ALCOHOLIC SOLUTION OF
SUDAN III DEVELOPS RED COLOUR IN THE PRESENCE OF VOLATILE OILS.
• 2. THIN SECTION OF DRUG IS TREATED WITH TINCTURE OF ALKANA, WHICH
PRODUCES RED COLOR THAT INDICATES THE PRESENCE OF VOLATILE OILS IN
NATURAL DRUGS.

8. • VOLATILE OILS ARE EXTRACTED BY
• STEAM-DISTILLATION,
• SOLVENT EXTRACTION OR
• MECHANICAL MEANS SUCH AS ECUELLE AND
• ENFLEURAGE TECHNIQUES.
• A) HYDRO-DISTILLATION: METHOD COMPRISING OF WATER DISTILLATION, WATER AND STEAM
DISTILLATION, AND STEAM DISTILLATION IS USED FOR EXTRACTION OF VOLATILE OILFROM
HERBAL DRUGS. THE FRESH MATERIAL IS SUBJECTED TO HYDRO-DISTILLATION IN CASE OF THE
LEAF DRUGS. AIR-DRIED SUBTERRANEAN PARTSARE EXTRACTED BY STEAM DISTILLATION.
• B) STEAM DISTILLATION:
• 1- IT IS USED ONLY FOR FRESH PLANT MATERIAL (ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE CONTAINING OILS IN
EXTERNAL SECRETORY STRUCTURES).
• 2- THE PLANT MATERIAL IS CUT AND TRANSFERRED DISTILLING CHAMBER(SUSPENDED IN A
WIRE BASKET OR PERFORATED TRAYS).
• 3- STEAM IS FORCED THROUGH THE PLANT MATERIAL AND THE OIL IS OBTAINED ASBEFORE.
• 4- MOSTLY USED IN THE LARGE SCALE PRODUCTION OF V.O.

10. • ENFLEURAGE METHOD
• THIS PROCESS WAS ONCE USED FOR EXTRACTION OF VOLATILE OILS OF
DELICATE FLOWERS, E.G. JASMINE.
• TWO THIN LAYERS OF INODOROUS FAT (BEET TALLOW OR LARD) ARESPREAD
AND FLOWERS ARE THEN SPREAD LIGHTLY BETWEEN THEM.-
• AFTER COMPLETE EXTRACTION, THE FLOWERS ARE REMOVED(DEFLEURAGE)
AND REPLACED WITH NEW FLOWERS.-
• WITH PROLONGED CONTACT, THE FAT LAYERS BECOME SATURATED WITH THE
VOLATILE OIL OF THE FLOWERS:
• THESE FATTY LAYERS, CALLED POMADE, ARE EXTRACTED WITH ALCOHOL
(STIRRED WITH ALCOHOL THAT DISSOLVES THE OIL LEAVING THE FAT). –
• THE OIL IS SEPARATED BY FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION FROM ALCOHOL.THE
RESULTING OIL, WHICH IS FREE FROM BOTH FAT AND ALCOHOL, IS CALLED
ABSOLUTE OR ENFLEURAGE

12. • ECUELLE EXTRACTIOPROCESS
• THE RINDS ARE RUPTURED MECHANICALLY USING NUMEROUS POINTED PROJECTIONS WITHA
ROTARY MOVEMENT AND THE OIL IS COLLECTED
• ECUELLE A PIQUER IS A SPECIALLY DESIGNED APPARATUS IS NOTHING BUT A LARGE BOWL
MEANT FOR PRICKING THE OUTER SURFACE OF CITRUS FRUITS. IT IS MORE OR LESS A LARGE
FUNNEL MADE OF COPPER HAVING ITS INNER LAYER TINNED PROPERLY.
• THE INNER LAYER HAS NUMEROUS POINTED METAL NEEDLES JUST LONG ENOUGH TO
PENETRATE THE EPIDERMIS. LOWER STEM OF THE APPARATUS SERVE TWO POSES;
• FIRST, AS A RECEIVER FOR THE OIL;
• AND SECONDLY, AS A HANDLE.

13. • VOLATILE OILS ARE USED AS:
• FLAVOURING AGENT, PERFUMING AGENT IN PHARMACEUTICAL FORMULATIONS,
FOODS, BEVERAGES, AND IN COSMETIC INDUSTRIES.
• THESE ARE ALSO USED AS IMPORTANT MEDICINAL AGENT FOR THERAPEUTIC
PURPOSES LIKE:
• 1. CARMINATIVE (E.G. UMBILLIFEROUS FRUITS)
• 2. ANTI-HELMINITIC (E.G. CHENOPODIUM OIL)
• 3. DIURETICS (E.G.JUNIPER)
• 4. ANTISEPTIC (E.G. EUCALYPTUS)
• 5. COUNTER IRRITANT (E.G. OIL OF WINTER GREEN)
• 6. LOCAL ANESTHETIC(E.G. CLOVE)
• 7. SEDATIVE SECT REPELLENT(E.G. JATAMANSI)(E.G. CITRONELLA) SOURCE OF
VITAMIN A (E.G. LEMONGRASS)

14. THANK YOU