Extraction and Characterization of Essential Oils from Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. Gray

The essential oils associated with the flowers of Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. Gray were extracted and characterized via hydrodistillation and Gas Chromatography. Hydrodistillation was done in an all-glass Clevenger-type apparatus. The extracts from the hydrodistillation were subjected to gas chromatography where the components of the essential oils were separated based on their molecular weights, identified and characterized. The study characterized forty-five components (essential oils) and these include: Cymene, Cinnamic aldehyde, Tricyclene, α-Pinene, β-Pinene, Sabinene, Camphene, Limonene, Benzyl alcohol, Cisocimene, Myrcene, Allo-ocimene, Pinene-2-ol, α-Thujene, Thymol, Carvacrol, 3-Methoxyacetophenone, γ-Terpinene, Citronellal, Neral, Geranial, Borneol, Citronellol, Linalool, 1,8-Cineole, α-Terpineol, Terpinen-4-ol, Germacrene D, Thymyl Methl Ether, Linalyl acetate, Borneol acetate, Geranyl acetate, αCubebene, β-Caryophyllene, γ-Cardinene, β-Elemene, Germacrene B, α-Caryophyllene, α-Copane, Acetyleugenol, α-Selinene, γ-Muurolene, Elemicin, β-Selinene and Caryophyllene oxide. Out of these, αpinene, β-caryophyllene, β-pinene, Germacrene D and 1,8-Cineole were found to be the major constituents with 34.42%, 22.34%, 11.14%, 11.13% and 8.76% respectively.