CHEMISTRY INVESTIGATORY PROJECT 

​AIM: 

To extract essential oil Present

in Aniseed (Saunf), Carom
(Ajwain) and Caradmon
(Elaichi)

SUBMITED TO- SUBMITED BY- 

Mr. Devendra Kumar Tiwari Anshuman 
Srivastava 
(H O D Chemistry ) XII- G   
  
Board 
Roll. 
No. 
 

 
CERTIFICATE 
 
This is to certify that “Anshuman Srivastava” 
, student of class XII G has completed the 
project in the academic year 2017-18 , entitled 
‘To extract essential oils from Aniseed, Carom 
and Cardamom’ himself and under my 
guidance. The progress of the project has been 
continuously reported and has been in my 
knowledge consistently. 
 
 
  
 

Signature of Signature of Signature 

of 
External Examiner Chemistry Teacher 
Principal 
 
 
 
 
Preface 
I’m presenting a project file on the topic ​To extract 
essential oil Present in Aniseed (Saunf), Carom 
(Ajwain) and Caradmon (Elaichi) ​. In this project I 
have tried to give all the important things about my 
project. 
This project contains about the extraction of the 
oilseeds from natural sources. I have given 
information in this project by consulting books and 
useful websites. 
I have tried my best to avoid mistakes. If there is 
minute mistake please avoid it. 
Thanks..... 
  

 
 
 
Acknowledgment 
In the accomplishment of this project successfully, 
many people have best owned upon me their blessings 
and the heart pledged support this timeI am utilizing to 
thank all the people who have been concerned with 
this project. 
Primarily, I would thank god for being able to 
complete this projectwith success. Then I would like to 
​‘Mrs Anupama Mishra’​
thank my principal ‘Mrs Mishra’​ ,  
​‘Mrs. Manju Rai’​
Our coordinator ‘Mrs. Rai’​, Chemistry teacher 
Tiwari’​ Chemistry Lab Assitant 
‘Mr. Devendra Kumar Tiwari’​
​‘Mr. Nitin Srivastava’​
Teacher ‘Mr. Srivastava’​ whose valuable guidance 
has been the ones that helped me patch this project and 
make it full proof success his suggestion and his 
instructions has served as the major contributor 
towards the completion of this project. 
Then I would like to thank my parents and friends 
who have helped me with their valuable suggestions 
and guidance has been helpful in various phases of the 
completion of this project. 
 

Contents 
1. Introduction ..1 
..1 
2. Aniseed Oil ..2 
..2 
3. Uses of Anisees Oil ..3 
..3 
4. Carom Essential Oil ..4 
..4 
5. Uses of Carom Oil ..5 
..5 
 6. Caradamon Essential Oil ..6 
..6 
7. Uses of Caradamon ..7 
..7 
8. Experiment :Reqirements ..8 ..8 
9. Procedure ..9 
..9 
10. Observations ..11 
..11 
11. Conclusion and Precautions..12 
Precautions..12 
12. Bibliography ..13 
..13 
 
 Introduction 
We are all familiar with the pleasant odours 
coming out from flowers, spices and many trees. 
The term “essential oils” literally means “oils 
derived from the essence” of plants.  
Essential oils are mainly used for their pleasant 
odours and flavors in perfumes and as flavoring 
agents in foods. Some are used in medicines (e.g., 
camphor, wintergreen, eucalyptus) others as 
insect repellants (e.g., citronella). Chemically 
essential oils are composed of complex mixtures 
of ester, alcohols, phenols, aldehydes, ketones and 
hydrocarbons. They are essentially non-polar 
compounds and are thus soluble in non-polar 
solvents such as petroleum ether, benzene etc.  
 The 

technique of steam distillation permits the 

separation of volatile components from 
non-volatile materials without raising the 
temperature of the distillation above 100° C. 

Aniseed Oil 
Aniseed, on steam 
distillation, yields an 
essential oil, known as `Oil  of 
Aniseed`, which has now replaced the fruits for 
medicinal and flavoring purposes. Aniseed oil is a 
colorless or pale-yellow liquid having the characteristic 
odor and taste of the fruit. The yield of oil generally 
varies from 1.9 to 3.1 per cent. Higher values up to 6 
 per cent 
have been 
reported 
from 
Syrian 
aniseed. 
Crushing 
of fruits 
prior to 
distillation gives better yields of oil. 
Aniseed Essential Oil 
❖ Common Method of Extraction:- Steam  
❖ Distillation Color:- Clear  
❖ Botanical Name:-Pimpinellaanisum 
❖ Aromatic Description:- Distinctive scent of 
licorice. Rich and sweet.  
❖ Constituents:- a-pinene, camphene, B-pinene, 
linalool, cis-anethole, trans-anethole, safrole, 
anisaldehyde, acetoanisole. 
2 
 

Uses of Aniseed Oil 

❖ In aromatherapy, aniseed essential oil is used 
to treat colds and flu. 
❖ Aniseed oil can be made into a liquid scent and 
is used for both hunting and fishing. It is put on 
fishing lures to attract fish. 
❖ Anethole, the principal component of anise oil, 
is a precursor that can eventually produce 
2,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde which is can be used 
in the clandestine synthesis of psychedelic drugs 
such as 2C-B, 2C-I and DOB. 
❖ Oil of aniseed is also reported to be used as an 
aromatic carminative to relieve flatulence, and as 
an ingredient of cough lozenges in combination 
with liquorice. 
❖ Essential oil is also used externally as an 
insecticide against small insects such as head 
lice, mites and vermin. It also has fungicidal 
properties. 
3 
 Carom Essential Oil  
Carom seeds are also known as ajwain , Thymol 
seeds, Onum , Ajma , 
Ajmodika and bishops 
weed. They are the tiny, 
cute, delicate and oval 
shaped herbs with a 
penetrating fragrance. 
Carom seed belongs to 
the family of cumin and 
parsley. These seeds 
have been used since years as they consists 
number of medical properties. Because of their 
strong aroma, carom seeds are highly used for the 
Indian culinary. 
Carom seeds are sharp and hot with the burning 
taste, that’s why few seeds are enough to bring the 
flavor in any Indian recipe. Caromseeds can be 
whole or powdered one. It is always advisable to 
buy whole carom seeds as they can be easily 
turned into powder form just by grinding them in a 
smooth powder. 
 
4

Uses of Carom Oil 

❖ These seeds are used for the tempering or 
tadka’s in the dishes.Ajwain has strong, dominant 
and distinctive taste and flavor, that’s why few 
seeds are enough to bring exotic fragrance to the 
vegetarian and non-veg food. 
 ❖ Ajwain can be 
used for making 
pickles as well.The aroma and unique taste of 
ajwain is used for making various types of roti’s, 
parathas, thepla’s and so on. 
❖ They are specially used in different types of 
meat, snack recipes and dal recipes to enhance 
the flavor.Soups, stocks and stews can be 
flavored with few seeds of ajwain. 
❖ Ajwain are highly incorporated for making 
various salad dressings and Indian bakery items. 

Caradamon Essential Oil 

 Cardamom provides a warming and 
stimulating tonic .Cardamomis also an 
excellent choice for the digestive system. It is 
well known that Cardamomis greatly admired 
and extensively used as a culinary spice all 
over the world.  
A gargle with Cardamon is used if one suffer 
with halitosis (bad breath). One not try 1 drop 
Cardamon and one drop of Peppermint in a 
small amount of water as an effective way to 
freshen your breath. 
 
 6

 
Uses OfCaradamon 
❖ Smoothies: Add some cardamom to fruit 
smoothies to give them an extra edge. It doesn’t 
matter what flavor the basic smoothie is –in fact, 
the more exotic the better. 
❖ Fruit loaves: If we 
want to jazz up our 
banana bread or add  a 
bit of life to our tired 
fruit loaf recipe, then  a 
touch of ground 
cardamom will make  a 
world of difference. 
Add the spice while 
mixing in the rest of 
the dry ingredients 
 and 
one 
will 
get a 

lovelywarm, rich flavor from the finished loaf. 

❖ Bread :As with fruit loaves, a sprinkling of 
cardamom will do wonders for your bread rolls and 
loaves. The spice will be just a hint of warmth to 
the flavor and we can add as little or as much as we 
like, depending on taste.
7

Experiment 
 

Requirements 
❖Steam generator (Copper Vessel),  
❖Round bottom flask (500 ml),  
❖Conical flask, condenser, glass tubes, 
❖Iron stand,  
❖Sand bath, 
❖ Separatory funnel,  
 ❖Tripod stands,  
❖Burners, 
❖Ajwain(Carum), Petroleum 
ether(60-80°C),Saunf(Ajwain).  
 
Set the apparatus as shown in the picture of Experimental 
Experimental 
Setup.  
Setup.
 
 

Procedure 
 

(1) Saunf (Aniseed) 

➢ The apparatus consisted of a steam generator 
connected to the round bottom flask through a glass 
inlet tube.  
➢ The flask was connected to a water condenser 
through a glass outlet tube. Condenser was further 
attached to a receiver through an adaptor.  
➢ Took about 750 ml of water in the steam 
generator and started heating to produce steam. In 
the round bottom flask took about 75 gm of crushed 
saunf.  
➢ A vigorous current of steam from steam generator 
was passed through the round bottom flask.  
➢ A part of the steam condensed in the round 
bottom flask. As more and more steam was passed, 
the steam volatile components of saunf passed 
through the condenser along with steam.  
➢ These contents on condensation were collected in 
the receiver. The contents in the round bottom flask 
 were 
heated 
by a 

bunsen burner to prevent excessive condensation of 

steam. 
​9
 
 
(2) Ajwain (Corundum) 
 
➢ The apparatus consisted of a steam generator 
connected to the round bottom flask through a glass 
inlet tube.  
➢ The flask was connected to a water condenser 
through a glass outlet tube. Condenser was further 
attached to a receiver through an adaptor.  
➢ Took about 750 ml of water in the steam 
generator and started heating to produce steam. In 
the round bottom flask took about 75 gm of crushed 
saunf.  
➢ A vigorous current of steam from steam generator 
was passed through the round bottom flask.  
 ➢ A part of the steam condensed in the round 
bottom flask. As more and more steam was passed, 
the steam volatile components of saunf passed 
through the condenser along with steam.  
➢ These contents on condensation were collected in 
the receiver. The contents in the round bottom flask 
were heated by a bunsen burner to prevent 
excessive condensation of steam. 

10

 
Observations 
 1.) 
Saunf 

(Aniseed):- 
Weight of Saunf taken = 100 gm  
Initial Weight of the bottle = 10gm(x)  
Weight of bottle + essential oil = 11.25 gm(y)   
Weight of essential oil extracted =(y-x) =1.25 gm  
Percentage of essential oil = (y/100)*100=1.25 %  
Colour of the oil = Colourless 
Odour of the oil = Saunf like smell.  
2.) Ajwain (Carum):- 
Weight of Saunf taken = 75 gm Initial   
Weight of the bottle = 10 gm(x)   
Weight of bottle + essential oil = 11 gm(y)  
Weight of essential oil extracted =(y-x) =1 gm   
  

Percentage of essential oil = (y/75)*100=1.33%   

Colour of the oil = Colourless 
Odour of the oil = Ajwain like smell.​ 11 

​Conclusion 
❖ Hence we have extracted essential oils 
from 75 gm of sounf (aniseed), ajwain 
(carom) and elaichi (caracamon) 

Precautions 
▪ If you accidentally spill essential oils –Clean any 
spillage with an absorbent material such as 
kitchen roll 
▪ If you accidentally get essential oils in your eye 
–Flush with copious amounts of Milk for at least 
 15 

minutes and seek medical advice if symptoms 

persist. 
▪ If you accidentally swallow essential oils –Rinse 
mouth with Milk and seek medical attention. 
▪ Handling –Do not eat, drink or smoke when 
handling. Respect good personal hygiene. 
▪ Always mix with carrier oil before applying to 
the skin. Never apply to inflamed or broken skin. 
▪ Do not use neat on skin. 

12

BIBLIOGRAPHY 
➢ https://docuri.com/download/final-ex
traction_59a8db7df581719e12af43d5_p
df 
  

➢ http://projects.icbse.com/chemistry-2
71 
 
➢ https://www.scribd.com/doc/1186720
57/To-Extraction-of-Essential-Oil-Pres
ent-Aniseed-Carom-and-Cardamon 
 
 
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