ENANTIOMERIC COMPOSITION OF TERPENIC HYDROCARBONS IN ESSENTIAL OILS FROM JUNIPERUS-COMMUNIS L

alpha-Cyclodextrin complexation under appropriate conditions of partition gas chromatography has been applied for chiral discrimination of the hydrocarbon fraction of juniper oils of various origins. The essential oils under investigation were obtained from crushed juniper berries and leaves cultivated on plantations in Austria, Italy and Poland. It was found that the main component of the hydrocarbon fraction of almost all the juniper oils under investigation was a laevorotatory enantiomer, S(-)-alpha-pinene, and that the ratio of its S to R enantiomer may vary greatly (from 5 to 1) depending on the origin of the material, i.e. the part of the plant (berries or leaves), and the place of its cultivation.