The essential oil of Pectis elongata Kunth occurring in north Brazil

The oils of Pectis elongata were hydrodistilled and analysed by GC and GC-MS. The major constituents identified in the oils of fresh and dried samples of a specimen collected in Pari state, Brazil, were perilla aldehyde (51.7% and 64.6%) and limonene (43.7% and 33.7%), respectively. The main compound found in the oil of a dried sample of another specimen collected in Amapa state, Brazil, was perilla aldehyde (81.9%), followed by its oxidation derivatives, perilla alcohol (5.6%) and perilla acid (4.0%). The higher percentage of perilla aldehyde in the dried samples is due to the loss of limonene during the drying stage. Probably, the plant oxidation process is initiated in the 1-methyl group of limonene, converting it to perilla alcohol and thence to the other derivatives. Copyright (C) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.