DefinePK

Abstract

Background and Objective Steam distillation and soxhlet extraction are among the most commonly used methods in the laboratory for the extraction of biological compounds. This study was aimed at comparing the chemical composition of insecticidal oils extracted via these two methods. Materials and Methods Oils were extracted from both plants via steam distillation and soxhlet extraction methods. Extracted oils were then subjected to Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry GC-MS analysis to investigate the chemical components of oils. Results The steam distilled oils from both plants contained fewer compounds relative to the soxhlet extracted oils which contained a wider array of chemical compounds including phenols, acyclic olefins, esters, ketones, carboxylic acids and alcohols. Conclusion Steam distillation alone may not be sufficient to extract most biological compounds present in plant oils.