FLAVOUR AND FRAGRANCE JOURNAL

Flavour Fragr. J. 2001; 16: 286–288

DOI: 10.1002/ffj.998

Essential oil of Baccharis uncinella DC. from Southern

Brazil
C. D. Frizzo,1 L. A. Serafini,1 E. Dellacassa,2 D. Lorenzo2 and P. Moyna1,2∗
1Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidade de Caxias do Sul, CEP 95001-970, Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil
2Cátedra de Farmacognosia y Productos Naturales, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, CP 11800, Montevideo,
Uruguay
Received 2 February 1999
Revised 27 February 2001
Accepted 28 February 2001

ABSTRACT: The essential oil from aerial parts of Baccharis uncinella DC. was analysed using a combination
of GC and GC–MS. Kováts retention indices were also calculated to complete the identification. The main
components identified were ˛-pinene (16%), ˇ-pinene (15%), limonene (13%), spathulenol (10%), globulol (5%),
(E)-nerolidol (4%), bicyclogermacrene (3%) and terpinen-4-ol (2%). Copyright  2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
KEY WORDS: Baccharis uncinella DC.; Asteraceae; essential oil; sesquiterpene alcohols; spathulenol; globulol;
(E)-nerolidol

Introduction Botany Department, Faculty of Chemistry (Montevideo)

The genus Baccharis (Asteraceae) consists of 500
species distributed from Argentina to the USA.1 – 3
More than 90% of these species are present in South
America.4,5 Many of the species have been studied for
their uses in traditional medicine,2,6 – 9 pharmacological
properties,10 – 12 or their applications in the perfumery
industry.13 – 15 B. uncinella DC. (B. discolor Baker),
popularly called vassoura lageana, grows wild in the
south of Brazil. The plant is a shrub and can grow to a
height of 3 m.16 No previous phytochemical studies have
been reported concerning the composition of volatile
compounds from B. uncinella.
Experimental
Plant Material
Aerial parts of B. uncinella DC. were collected in Rio
Grande do Sul State during April and May of 1997 and
1999 (autumn). Voucher specimens of the whole plant
were identified and deposited at the Herbarium of the
*Correspondence to: P. Moyna, Instituto de Biotecnologia, Univer-
sidade de Caxias do Sul, CEP 95001-970, Caxias do Sul, RS,
Brazil.
Contract/grant sponsor: Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cien-
tífico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Brazil.
Contract/grant sponsor: Secretaria de Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio
Grande do Sul (SCT/RS), Brazil.
Contract/grant sponsor: International Foundation for Science (IFS),
Stockholm, Sweden; Contract/grant number: F/2196-2.
with the number MVFQ 3541.
Oil Isolation and Analysis
The essential oil was isolated from the fresh aerial
parts of the plants by hydrodistillation for 1 h using
a Clevenger-type apparatus. The oil was dried over
anhydrous Na2 SO4 .
GC analysis was carried out on a Hewlett-Packard
6890 Series gas chromatograph, equipped with a
Chemstation data processor. Two bonded-phase capillary
columns were used: an HP-5 (30 m ð 0.32 mm i.d.,
0.25 µm film thickness) and an HP-Innowax (30 m ð
0.32 mm i.d, 0.50 µm film thickness). The oven
temperature was programmed for the HP-5 column
as follows: 60 ° C (8 min), 60–180 ° C (at 3 ° C/min),
180–230 ° C (at 20 ° C/min); 230 ° C (20 min); injector
temperature, 250 ° C; detector temperature, 275 ° C. The
same temperature programme was used for the HP-
Innowax column, only starting at 40 ° C and with
a detector temperature of 250 ° C. Other conditions
were used in both cases: injection mode, split; split
ratio, 1 : 50; carrier gas, H2 (2.1 mL/min); volume
injected, 0.1 µL.
The GC–MS analysis were run on a Shimadzu
QP1100 and a Hewlett-Packard 6890/5973 MS (both
with Wiley spectral data).17 Both were equipped with
the same stationary phases used in the GC–FID
analysis, using: interface temperature, 280 ° C; injection
mode, split; split ratio, 1 : 100; carrier gas, He (at

Copyright  2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

 ESSENTIAL OIL OF BACCHARIS UNCINELLA 287

1.0 mL/min); linear velocity, 36 cm/s; ionization energy,
70 eV; acquisition mass range, 40–350 u; solvent cut,
3.5 min; volume injected, 0.4 µL of the oil diluted in
n-hexane (1 : 10).
The retention indices18 were determinated by co-
injection of n-alkane standard solution (C9 –C26 , Ald-
rich, USA) on both phases. The constituents of the oil
were identified by comparison of their mass spectral data
and retention indices in both columns with correspond-
ing data of authentic compounds and with the MS’s own
libraries and literature data.19 – 21
Results and Discussion
The yield of essential oil obtained by hydrodistilla-
tion of B. uncinella was 0.23% (v/w). Table 1 gives the
relative percentages of 61 components of B. uncinella
oil, which represent 95% of the total oil. The oil
was found to consist of oxygen-containing compounds
(28%) and a fraction containing monoterpene (55.5%)
and sesquiterpene (11.5%) hydrocarbons. The main
components were the sesquiterpene alcohols spathu-
lenol (9.8%), globulol (4.6%), (E)-nerolidol (3.6%) and
the monoterpene hydrocarbons ˛-pinene (16.1%), ˇ-
pinene (15.5%) and limonene (13.1%). The sesquiter-
pene alcohols T-muurolol (1.8%) and viridiflorol (1.2%)
also amounted to more than 1%.
The monoterpene profile of B. uncinella is similar
to those reported for other Baccharis.7 – 9,13,15 The
sesquiterpene alcohol fraction shows (E)-nerolidol,
ledol, viridiflorol, globulol and spathulenol, is similar
to that observed in B. dracunculifolia essential oils
of Brazilian origin,13,15 although with an inverted

Table 1. Percentage composition of the essential oil of Baccharis uncinella DC. grown in
southern Brazil†

Compound Percentage K.I.a HP-5 K.I.b HP-Innowax Identification

˛-Thujene 3.7 922 1033 MS, RT, KIa,b
˛-Pinene 16.1 928 1027 MS, RT, KIa,b
Camphene tr 955 1092 MS, RT, KIa,b
Sabinene 2.2 969 1125 MS, RT, KIa,b
ˇ-Pinene 15.5 972 1111 MS, RT, KIa,b
ˇ-Myrcene 2.1 990 1173 MS, RT, KIa,b
˛-Terpinene 0.6 1024 1183 MS, RT, KIa,b
p-Cymene 0.5 1015 1279 MS, RT, KIa,b
Limonene 13.1 1028 1205 MS, RT, KIa,b
(E)-Ocimene 0.4 1049 1262 MS, RT, KIa,b
-Terpinene 1.0 1058 1253 MS, RT, KIa,b
cis-Sabinene hydrate 0.1 1064 MS, RT, KIa
˛-Terpinolene 0.3 1086 1291 MS, RT, KIa,b
Linalol 0.3 1100 1581 MS, RT, KIa,b
p-Menth-2-en-1-ol tr 1117 MS, RT, KIa,b
Terpinen-4-ol 2.3 1175 1616 MS, RT, KIa,b
˛-Terpineol 0.4 1189 1710 MS, RT, KIa,b
˛-Cubebene 0.1 1349 1465 MS, RT, KIa,b
˛-Copaene 0.4 1373 1500 MS, RT, KIa,b
ˇ-Bourbonene 0.1 1383 1526 MS, RT, KIa,b
ˇ-Elemene 0.1 1405 1600 MS, RT, KIa,b
˛-Gurjunene 0.2 1409 1538 MS, RT, KIa,b
ˇ-Caryophyllene 1.7 1415 1607 MS, RT, KIa,b
Aromadendrene 0.1 1436 1640 MS, RT, KIa,b
ˇ-Humulene 0.1 1440 MS, RT, KIa
˛-Humulene 0.5 1449 1671 MS, RT, KIa,b
allo-Aromadendrene 0.1 1458 1657 MS, RT, KIa,b
-Gurjunene 0.3 1470 MS, RT, KIa
-Muurolene 0.2 1475 1701 MS, RT, KIa,b
Germacrene D 1.8 1477 1708 MS, RT, KIa,b
C˛-AmorpheneŁ 0.4 1681 MS, RT, KIa,b
ar-Curcumene tr 1486 1800 MS, RT, KIa,b
cis-ˇ-Guaiene 0.3 1489 1691 MS, RT, KIa,b
Bicyclogermacrene 2.9 1492 1722 MS, RT, KIa,b
CLedeneŁ 1.2 1708 MS, RT, KIa,b
˛-Muurolene 0.2 1500 1738 MS, RT, KIa,b
Germacrene A tr 1506 MS, RT, KIa
(E,E)-Farnesene 0.2 1508 1741 MS, RT, KIa,b
-Cadinene 0.8 1517 MS, RT, KIa,b
υ-Cadinene 1.2 1521 1772 MS, RT, KIa,b

Copyright  2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Flavour Fragr. J. 2001; 16: 286–288
288 C. D. FRIZZO ET AL.

Table 1. (Continued)

Compound Percentage K.I.a HP-5 K.I.b HP-Innowax Identification

trans-Calamenene 0.1 1534 1850 MS, RT, KIa,b
˛-Cadinene 0.1 1541 1807 MS, RT, KIa,b
Elemol 0.2 1548 2074 MS, RT, KIa,b
epi-Longipinanol 0.1 1560 MS, RT, KIa
Ledol 0.3 1564 MS, RT, KIa
(E-Nerolidol 3.6 1569 1989 MS, RT, KIa,b
Spathulenol 9.8 1578 2138 MS, RT, KIa,b
Globulol 4.4 1581 2095 MS, RT, KIa,b
Viridiflorol 1.2 1591 2100 MS, RT, KIa,b
Guaiol 0.8 1600 2105 MS, RT, KIa,b
ˇ-Oplopenone 0.4 1605 MS, RT, KIa
1,10-di-epi-Cubenol 0.2 1613 MS, RT, KIa
1-epi-Cubenol 0.3 1625 2048 MS, RT, KIa,b
-Eudesmol 0.2 1629 2195 MS, RT, KIa,b
˛-Cadinol 0.9 1640 2173 MS, RT, KIa,b
˛-Muurolol 0.5 1645 2233 MS, RT, KIa,b
T-Muurolol 0.6 1647 2256 MS, RT, KIa,b
ˇ-Bisabolol 0.3 1668 MS, RT, KIa
˛-Bisabolol 0.4 1682 2088 MS, RT, KIa,b
epi-˛-bisabolol 0.1 1690 MS, RT, KIa
iso-Longifolol 0.2 1723 MS, RT, KIa
Total 94.6
Oxygen-containing compounds 27.6
Oxygen-containing monoterpenes 3.1
Oxygen-containing sesquiterpenes 24.5
Hydrocarbons 67.0
Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons 11.5
Monoterpene hydrocarbons 55.5
The components are listed in order of their elution on HP-5 column. Tr, traces (<0.1%).
a Kováts index on HP-5 column.
b
Kováts index on HP-Innowax column.
Ł
Percentage on HP-Innowax column.
†
Both yields and compositions are the means of eight extractions.

(E)-nerolidol/spathulenol relationship. (E)-nerolidol is 7. Loayza I, Collin G, Gagnon M, Deslauriers H, Dellacassa E. Riv.

the main oxygenated compound, in oils from both
B. dracunculifolia from Brazil13,15 and B. crispa from
Argentina,9 whereas spathulenol is the main component
in B. uncinella oils.
Acknowledgements—The authors would like to thank the CNPq (Con-
selho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brazil)
and SCT/RS (Secretaria de Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do
Sul, Brazil) and IFS (International Foundation for Science, Stock-
holm, Sweden, Grant No. F/2196-2) for support that made this work
possible.
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Copyright  2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Flavour Fragr. J. 2001; 16: 286–288