ARTIKEL KIMIA ORGANIK I

Essential Oil ( Minyak Atsiri)

Oleh: AWILDA MIKE PERTIWI 1120006 IA KIMIA ANALISIS

AKADEMI TEKNOLOGI INDUSTRI PADANG PADANG 2012

Essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. An oil is "essential" in the sense that it carries a distinctive scent, or essence, of the plant. Essential oils do not form a distinctive category for any medical, pharmacological, or culinary purpose. Essential oils are generally extracted by distillation. Other processes include expression, or solvent extraction. They are used in perfumes, cosmetics, soaps and other products, for flavoring food and drink, and for adding scents to incense and household cleaning products. Various essential oils have been used medicinally at different periods in history. Medical applications proposed by those who sell medicinal oils range from skin treatments to remedies for cancer, and often are based solely on historical accounts of use of essential oils for these purposes. Claims for the efficacy of medical treatments and treatment of cancers in particular, are now subject to regulation in most countries. As the use of essential oils has declined in evidence-based medicine, one must consult older textbooks for much information on their use. Modern works are less inclined to generalize; rather than refer to "essential oils" as a class at all, they prefer to discuss specific compounds, such as methyl salicylate, rather than "oil of wintergreen". Interest in essential oils has revived in recent decades with the popularity of aromatherapy, a branch of alternative medicine that claims that essential oils and other aromatic compounds have curative effects. Oils are volatilized or diluted in a carrier oil and used in massage, diffused in the air by a nebulizer, heated over a candle flame, or burned as incense. Characteristic of essential oil Essential oils are volatile due to low vapor point. In addition, the arrangement of its component compounds strongly affects the human nervous (especially in the nose) so it is often a certain psychological effect (strong smell). Each constituent has the effect of individual compounds, and mixtures can produce different flavors.

Chemically, essential oils are composed of a complex mixture of various compounds, but a particular compound is usually responsible for a particular scent. Most of the Essential Oils in a class of organic compounds including terpenes and terpenoids which are soluble in oil / lipophilic. Production Distillation Today, most common essential oils, such as lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus, are distilled. Raw plant material, consisting of the flowers, leaves, wood, bark, roots, seeds, or peel, is put into an alembic (distillation apparatus) over water. As the water is heated, the steam passes through the plant material, vaporizing the volatile compounds. The vapors flow through a coil, where they condense back to liquid, which is then collected in the receiving vessel. Most oils are distilled in a single process. One exception is ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata), which takes 22 hours to complete through a fractional distillation. The recondensed water is referred to as a hydrosol, hydrolat, herbal distillate or plant water essence, which may be sold as another fragrant product. Popular hydrosols include rose water, lavender water, lemon balm, clary sage and orange blossom water. The use of herbal distillates in cosmetics is increasing. Some plant hydrosols have unpleasant smells and are therefore not sold. Expression Most citrus peel oils are expressed mechanically, or cold pressed (similar to olive oil extraction). Due to the relatively large quantities of oil in citrus peel and low cost to grow and harvest the raw materials, citrus-fruit oils are cheaper than most other essential oils. Lemon or sweet orange oils that are obtained as byproducts of the citrus industry are even cheaper. Prior to the discovery of distillation, all essential oils were extracted by pressing. Solvent extraction Most flowers contain too little volatile oil to undergo expression and their chemical components are too delicate and easily denatured by the high heat used in steam distillation. Instead, a solvent such as hexane or supercritical carbon dioxide is used to extract the oils. Extracts from hexane and other hydrophobic solvent are called concretes, which are a mixture of essential oil, waxes, resins, and other lipophilic (oil soluble) plant material.

Although highly fragrant, concretes contain large quantities of nonfragrant waxes and resins. Often, another solvent, such as ethyl alcohol, which is more polar in nature, is used to extract the fragrant oil from the concrete. The alcohol is removed by evaporation, leaving behind the absolute. Supercritical carbon dioxide is used as a solvent in supercritical fluid extraction. This method has many benefits including avoiding petrochemical residues in the product and the loss of some "top notes" when steam distillation is used. It does not yield an absolute directly. The supercritical carbon dioxide will extract both the waxes and the essential oils that make up the concrete. Subsequent processing with liquid carbon dioxide, achieved in the same extractor by merely lowering the extraction temperature, will separate the waxes from the essential oils. This lower temperature process prevents the decomposition and denaturing of compounds. When the extraction is complete, the pressure is reduced to ambient and the carbon dioxide reverts to a gas, leaving no residue. An animated presentation describing the process is available for viewing. Supercritical carbon dioxide is also used for making decaffeinated coffee. Although it uses the same basic principles, it is a different process because of the difference in scale. Usefulness of essential oils in the industry Essential oil obtained from distillation or can be extracted by distillation. So that the extract can be used for cosmetics, soaps, perfumes, food flavorings, add flavor to the household products and other products. In the medical science of essential oils are used as medicine. The main components of essential oils Terpenes are a large and diverse class of organic compounds, produced by a variety of plants, particularly conifers, though also by some insects such as termites or swallowtail butterflies, which emit terpenes from their osmeteria. They are often strong smelling and thus may have had a protective function. They are the major components of resin, and of turpentine produced from resin. The name "terpene" is derived from the word "turpentine". In addition to their roles as end-products in many organisms, terpenes are major biosynthetic building blocks within nearly every living creature. Steroids, for example, are derivatives of the triterpene squalene.

When terpenes are modified chemically, such as by oxidation or rearrangement of the carbon skeleton, the resulting compounds are generally referred to as terpenoids. Some authors will use the term terpene to include all terpenoids. Terpenoids are also known as isoprenoids. Terpenes and terpenoids are the primary constituents of the essential oils of many types of plants and flowers. Essential oils are used widely as natural flavor additives for food, as fragrances in perfumery, and in traditional and alternative medicines such as aromatherapy. Synthetic variations and derivatives of natural terpenes and terpenoids also greatly expand the variety of aromas used in perfumery and flavors used in food additives. Vitamin A is an example of a terpene. Terpenes are released by trees more actively in warmer weather, acting as a natural form of cloud seeding. The clouds reflect sunlight, allowing the forest to regulate its temperature. The aroma and flavor of hops, highly desirable in some beers, comes from terpenes. Of the terpenes in hops myrcene, b-pinene, b-caryophyllene, and a-humulene are found in the largest quantities. Types Terpenes may be classified by the number of terpene units in the molecule; a prefix in the name indicates the number of terpene units needed to assemble the molecule.

Hemiterpenes consist of a single isoprene unit. Isoprene itself is considered the only hemiterpene, but oxygen-containing derivatives such as prenol and isovaleric acid are hemiterpenoids.

Monoterpenes consist of two isoprene units and are derived from the molecular formula C10H16. Examples of monoterpenes are: geraniol, limonene and terpineol. Sesquiterpenes consist of three isoprene units and are derived from the molecular formula C15H24. Examples of sesquiterpenes are: farnesenes, farnesol. (The sesqui- prefix means one and a half.)

Diterpenes are composed of four isoprene units and have the molecular formula C20H32. They derive from geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate. Examples of diterpenes are cafestol, kahweol, cembrene and taxadiene (precursor of taxol). Diterpenes also form the basis for biologically important compounds such as retinol, retinal, and phytol. They are known to be antimicrobial and antiinflammatory.

Sesterterpenes, terpenes having 25 carbons and five isoprene units, are rare relative to the other sizes. (The sester- prefix means half to three, i.e. two and a half.) An example of a sesterterpene is geranylfarnesol.

Triterpenes consist of six isoprene units and are derived from the molecular formula C30H48. The linear triterpene squalene, the major constituent of shark liver oil, is derived from the reductive coupling of two molecules of farnesyl pyrophosphate. Squalene is then processed biosynthetically to generate either lanosterol or cycloartenol, the structural precursors to all the steroids.

Sesquarterpenes are composed of seven isoprene units and are derived from the molecular formula C35H56. Sesquartepenes are typically microbial in their origin. Examples of sesquarterpenes are ferrugicadiol and tetraprenylcurcumene.

Tetraterpenes contain eight isoprene units and are derived from the molecular formula C40H64. Biologically important tetraterpenes include the acyclic lycopene, the monocyclic gammacarotene, and the bicyclic alpha- and beta-carotenes.

Polyterpenes consist of long chains of many isoprene units. Natural rubber consists of polyisoprene in which the double bonds are cis. Some plants produce a polyisoprene with trans double bonds, known as gutta-percha.

Kesimpulan :
Minyak Atsiri, atau dikenal juga sebagai Minyak Eteris (Aetheric Oil), Minyak Esensial, Minyak Terbang, serta Minyak Aromatik, adalah kelompok besar minyak nabati yang berwujud cairan kental pada suhu ruang namun mudah menguap sehingga memberikan aroma yang khas. Minyak Atsiri merupakan bahan dasar dari wangi-wangian atau minyak gosok (untuk pengobatan) alami. Di dalam perdagangan, sulingan Minyak Atsiri dikenal sebagai bibit minyak wangi. Minyak Atsiri merupakan metabolit sekunder yang biasanya berperan sebagai alat pertahanan diri agar tidak dimakan oleh hewan (hama) ataupun sebagai agen untuk bersaing dengan tumbuhan lain (lihat alelopati) dalam mempertahankan ruang hidup. Walaupun hewan kadang-kadang juga mengeluarkan bau-bauan (seperti kesturi dari beberapa musang atau cairan yang berbau menyengat dari beberapa kepik), zat-zat itu tidak digolongkan sebagai Minyak Atsiri. Minyak Atsiri merupakan suatu minyak yang mudah menguap (volatile oil) biasanya terdiri dari senyawa organik yang bergugus alkohol, aldehid, keton dan berantai pendek. Minyak atsiri dapat diperoleh dari penyulingan akar, batang, daun, bunga, maupun biji tumbuhan, selain itu diperoleh juga terpen yang merupakan senyawaan hidrokarbon yang bersifat tidak larut dalam air dan tidak dapat disabunkan. Beberapa contoh minyak atsiri yaitu minyak cengkeh, minyak sereh, minyak kayu putih, minyak lawang dan lain-lain. Ciri-ciri : Minyak Atsiri bersifat mudah menguap karena titik uapnya rendah. Selain itu, susunan senyawa komponennya kuat mempengaruhi saraf manusia (terutama di hidung) sehingga seringkali memberikan efek psikologis tertentu (baunya yang kuat). Setiap senyawa penyusun memiliki efek tersendiri, dan campurannya dapat menghasilkan rasa yang berbeda. Secara kimiawi, minyak atsiri tersusun dari campuran yang rumit berbagai senyawa, namun suatu senyawa tertentu biasanya bertanggung jawab atas suatu aroma tertentu. Sebagian besar Minyak Atsiri termasuk dalam golongan senyawa organik terpena dan terpenoid yang bersifat larut dalam minyak / lipofil.

Produksi Minyak Atsiri 1. Destilasi Minyak atsiri yang berasal dari tumbuhan yang diambil bunga, biji, kulit kayu, akar dan daun yang dimasukkan kedalam labu didih dari alat destilasi (satu set alat destilasi), kemudian ditambahkan dengan pelarut dan dipanaskan. Setelah itu uap akan melewati bahan tanaman dan kemudian uap menuju kondensor dan didinginkan hingga diperoleh destilat yang murni. Destilat ini disebut juga dengan esensi tanaman yang memiliki bau yang harum, namun juga ada yang tidak berbau enak atau busuk sehingga tidak bisa dijual. 2. Ekspresi Sebelum adanya teknik destilasi maka untuk mendapatkan minyak atsiri dari tanaman dapat digunakan dengan cara merendam dan menekan bahan sehingga didapatkan hasil pres-an. Namun cara ini sepertinya tidak efektif karena akan memerlukan bahan yang banyak dan tenaga yang lebih serta waktu yang lama. Cara ini juga tidak efektif karena hasil pres-an tidak terlalu murni. Kedua cara inilah yang umum digunakan untuk mendapatkan minyak atsiri dari bahan-bahan yang mengandung minyak tersebut. Kegunaan minyak atsiri dalam industri Minyak atsiri diperoleh dari penyulingan atau dapat diekstrak dengan cara destilasi. Sehingga hasil ekstrak tersebut dapat digunakan untuk kosmetik, sabun, parfum, penyedap makanan, menambahkan aroma pada produk-produk rumah tangga serta produk lainnya. Didalam ilmu medis minyak atsiri digunakan sebagai obat Komponen Utama Minyak atsiri Terpena merupakan suatu golongan hidrokarbon yang banyak dihasilkan oleh tumbuhan dan terutama terkandung pada getah dan vakuola selnya. Pada tumbuhan, senyawa-senyawa golongan terpena dan modifikasinya, terpenoid, merupakan metabolit sekunder. Terpena dan terpenoid dihasilkan pula oleh sejumlah hewan, terutama serangga dan beberapa hewan laut. Di samping sebagai metabolit sekunder, terpena merupakan kerangka penyusun sejumlah senyawa penting bagi makhluk hidup.

Sebagai contoh, senyawa-senyawa steroid adalah turunan skualena, suatu triterpena; juga karoten dan retinol. Nama "terpena" (terpene) diambil dari produk getah tusam, terpentin (turpentine). Terpena dan terpenoid menyusun banyak minyak atsiri yang dihasilkan oleh tumbuhan. Kandungan minyak atsiri memengaruhi penggunaan produk rempah-rempah, baik sebagai bumbu, sebagai wewangian, serta sebagai bahan pengobatan dan kesehatan. Tipe-tipe Terpena Terpen-terpen adalah suatu golongan senyawa yang sebagian besar terjadi dalam dunia tumbuhtumbuhan. Hanya sedikit sekali terpen-terpen yang diperoleh dari sumber-sumber lain. Monoterpen-monoterpen dan seskuiterpen adalah komponen utama dari minyak menguap atau minyak atsiri. Minyak menguap ini diperoleh dari daun atau jaringan-jaringan tertentu dari tumbuh-tumbuhan atau pohon-pohonan. Minyak atsiri adalah bahan yang mudah menguap, sehingga ia mudah dipisahkan dari bahan-bahan lain yang terdapat dalam tumbuh-tumbuhan. Salah satu cara yang paling popular untuk memisahkan minyak atsiri dari jaringan tumbuh-tumbuhan ialah penyulingan. Senyawasenyawa di dan triterpen tidak dapat diperoleh dengan jalan destilasi uap, tapi diperoleh dari tumbuhtumbuhan dan tanaman karet atau resin dengan jalan isolasi serta metoda pemisahan tertentu. Beberapa contoh terpenoid :

Monoterpen :

Seskuiterpen :

Politerpen :

Terpenoid Tak Teratur :