Essential oil composition of Ambrosia cumanensis (Asteraceae) from Costa Rica

Abstract

Ambrosia is an Asteraceous genus of flowering plants, which has about 40-45 species, and their geographical distribution ranges from the USA, Mexico, and Central America to South America. The aim of this work was to study the chemical composition of the essential oil of A. cumanensis growing in Costa Rica. The essential oils were obtained through the steam distillation process in a Clevenger type apparatus. The chemical composition of the oils was analyzed by capillary GC-FID and GC-MS using the retention indices on a DB-5 type capillary column in addition to mass spectral fragmentation patterns. A total of 137 compounds were identified, accounting for about 90% of the total amount of the oils. Ambrosia cumanensis produced terpenoid rich oil, whose composition was dominated by bicyclogermacrae (14.7-23.4%), germacrene D (10.1-16.9%), α-pinene (7.8-12.8%), β-pinene (4.5-6.7%), chrysanthenone (6.2-8.7%), limonene (3.5-5.8%), and filifolone (2.9-4.0%).