VELASCO. NEGUERUELA, A., PÉREZ-ALONSO, M. J., PALÁ-PAÚL, J., ÍÑIGO, A. & LÓPEZ, G. 2002. Análisis del aceite esencial de las hojas de Juniperus navicularis Gandoger. Bot. Complutensis 26: 85-91. El aceite esencial obtenido de las hojas de Juniperus navicularis Gand., recolectadas en el SO de Portugal, fue analizado mediante  cromatografía de gases (CG) y cromatografía de gases acoplada a espectrometría de masas (CG/EM), utilizando  también los índices de retención de Kováts. El aceite contenía como componentes mayoritarios alfa-pineno (30,8%), alfa- felandreno (11,1%) y limoneno + beta-felandreno (27,2%). Otros compuestos característicos fueron los cadinanos + muurolanos (2,7%) y también se encontraron (E)-nerolidol (4,8%) y alfa-epi-bisabolol (0,6%).VELASCO. NEGUERUELA, A., PÉREZ-ALONSO, M. J., PALÁ-PAÚL, J., ÍÑIGO, A. & LÓPEZ, G. 2002. Leaf essential oil analysis of Juniperus navicularis Gandoger. Bot. Complutensis 26: 85-91. The steam distilled oil obtained from the leaves of Juniperus navicularis Gand., gathered in SW Portugal was analysed by CG and GC/MS in combination with retention indices. The oil was shown to contain alfa-pinene (30,8%), alfa-phellandrene (11,1%) and limonene + beta- phellandrene (27,2%) as major constituents. Other characteristic compounds were cadinanes + muurolanes (2,7%). In addition to these components, (E)-nerolidol (4.8%) and alfa-epi-bisabolol (0,6%) were also present

López, Ginés

Palá-paúl, Jesús

Pérez-alonso, María José

Velasco-negueruela, Arturo

Portal de Revistas Científicas Complutenses

85
Botanica Complutensis ISSN: 0214-4565
Vol. 26 (2002) 85-91
Leaf essential oils analysis of 
Juniperus navicularis Gandoger
Arturo VELASCO-NEGUERUELA*, María José PÉREZ-ALONSO*, Jesús PALÁ-PAÚL*,
Ana ÍÑIGO* & Ginés LÓPEZ**
*Departamento de Biología Vegetal I (Botánica), Facultad de Biología
Universidad Complutense, 28040-Madrid, Spain
e-mail AVN44@Bio.UCM.ES
**Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid CSIC
Plaza de Murillo 2, 28014- Madrid, Spain
Resumen
VELASCO. NEGUERUELA, A., PÉREZ-ALONSO, M. J., PALÁ-PAÚL, J., ÍÑIGO, A. & LÓPEZ, G.
2002. Análisis del aceite esencial de las hojas de Juniperus navicularis Gandoger. Bot.
Complutensis 26: 85-91.
El aceite esencial obtenido de las hojas de Juniperus navicularis Gand., recolectadas en
el SO de Portugal, fue analizado mediante cromatografía de gases (CG) y cromatografía de
gases acoplada a espectrometría de masas (CG/EM), utilizando también los índices de re-
tención de Kováts. El aceite contenía como componentes mayoritarios α-pineno (30,8%), α-
felandreno (11,1%) y limoneno + β-felandreno (27,2%). Otros compuestos característicos
fueron los cadinanos + muurolanos (2,7%) y también se encontraron (E)-nerolidol (4,8%) y
α-epi-bisabolol (0,6%).
Palabras clave: Juniperus navicularis, Cupressaceae, composición del aceite esen-
cial, α-pineno, α-felandreno, limoneno + β-felandreno.
Abstract
VELASCO. NEGUERUELA, A., PÉREZ-ALONSO, M. J., PALÁ-PAÚL, J., ÍÑIGO, A. & LÓPEZ,
G. 2002. Leaf essential oil analysis of Juniperus navicularis Gandoger. Bot. Compluten-
sis 26: 85-91.
The steam distilled oil obtained from the leaves of Juniperus navicularis Gand., gathe-
red in SW Portugal was analysed by CG and GC/MS in combination with retention indices.
The oil was shown to contain α-pinene (30,8%), α-phellandrene (11,1%) and limonene + β-
phellandrene (27,2%) as major constituents. Other characteristic compounds were cadinanes
+ muurolanes (2,7%). In addition to these components, (E)-nerolidol (4.8%) and α-epi-bi-
sabolol (0,6%) were also present. 
Key Words: Juniperus navicularis, Cupressaceae, essential oil composition, α-pinene, α-
phellandrene, limonene + β-phellandrene.
INTRODUCTION
The genus Juniperus L., belongs to the Cupressaceae family, comprising about
50 species of useful aromatic and medicinal plants, found from the northern he-
misphere to the mountains of tropical Africa and West Indians (Mabberley, 1998).
According to Amaral Franco (1986) two sections can be recognised for the Iberian
Peninsula:
Section sabina Spach comprising Juniperus phoenicea L. subsp. phoenicea; J.
phoenicea L. subsp. turbinata (Guss.) Nyman; J. thurifera L and J. sabina L .
Section juniperus L., comprising Juniperus communis L. subsp. communis; J.
communis L. subsp. hemisphaerica (K. Presl) Nyman; J. communis L. subsp. al-
pina (Suter) Celak.; J. oxycedrus L. subsp. oxycedrus; J. oxycedrus L. subsp. badia
(H. Gay) Debeaux; J. oxycedrus L. subsp. macrocarpa (Sm.) Ball and J. navicu-
laris Gand. Recently ADAMS (2000) based on leaf essential oils and RAPDs (Ran-
dom amplified polymorphic DNAs) stablished the following species status for
the Juniperus oxycedrus complex:
J. oxycedrus L.; J. badia H. Gay; J. macrocarpa Sibth & Sm. and J. navicula-
ris Gand. (= J. oxycedrus L. subsp. transtagana Franco).
This last taxon is a dwarf shrub inhabiting the maritime sands (dunes near the
coast) and endemic to the Sado District (Sado River Estuary) of SW Portugal (Ri-
vas-Martínez et al., 1990). In this work we have examined the leaf oil volatiles of
J. navicularis by GC and GC/MS in combination with retention indices. 
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Plant material
The leaves of Juniperus navicularis were gathered in Portugal, Alcacer do
Sal, between Batallha and Murta, 15 Km from Comporta in the Sado river estuary.
A voucher specimen10750 GL has been deposited at the Herbarium of the Real Jar-
dín Botánico de Madrid, Spain. Plant material was identified by Prof. Dr. Ginés Ló-
pez González from the Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid, Spain.
Isolation of volatile constituents
Fresh leaves of J. navicularis were steam-distilled for 8 hours in an all glass
Clevenger type apparatus and the plant material was suspended in a chamber abo-
ve the boiling water The oils were dried over anhydrous sodium sulphate and sto-
red at 4 oC in the dark. The extracted leaves were oven dried 48 hours at 100 oC for
the determination of oil yields. The yield was 0,6% based on dried weight of sam-
ple.
Arturo Velasco-Negueruela et al. Leaf essential oils analysis of Juniperus navicularis...
Botanica Complutensis
Vol. 26 (2002) 85-91 86
Analyses
Analytical GC was carried out on a Varian 3300 gas chromatograph fitted
with a Silicone DB-1 capillary column (50 m × 0,25 mm), film thickness 0,25 µm;
carrier gas N2, flow rate 1,5 mL/min, split mode, temperature programmed 60 Co -
240 oC at 3 oC/min. Injector temperature 250 oC, detector used FID, detector tem-
perature 300 oC. Injection volume for all samples was 0,1 µL. GC/MS analyses
were carried out on a Hewlett Packard 5890 gas chromatograph fitted with a pha-
se bonded poly (5% diphenyl 95% dimethylsiloxane) silicone PTE5 capillary co-
lumn (30 m × 0,25 mm.), film thickness 0,25 µm. Carrier gas He, flow rate 1,5
mL/min. Temperature program regimen was 70 oC, 2 min and then programmed to
250 oC at 2 oC/min. Injector temperature 250 oC. The chromatograph was coupled
to a HP 5971 A mass selective detector (70 eV). 
Component identification
Most constituents were identified by comparing their retention indices with
those of authentic standards.The latter were either purchased, synthesized or
identified in oils of known composition. The fragmentation patterns of mass
spectra were compared with those stored in the spectrometer data base using the
NBS54K.L and WILEY.L built-in libraries and with those reported in the literatu-
re (LIBBEY, 1991; ADAMS, 1995; SWIGAR & SILVERSTEIN, 1981; JOULAIN & KÖNIG,
1998).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The components of the oil, the percentage of each constituent and the retention
indices are summarized in Table 1. The components are arranged in order to GC
elution on the Silicone columns. The pinane hydrocarbons of the oils of Juniperus
navicularis were dominated by α-pinene (30,8%) and lower amounts of β-pinene
(3,3%). The total of pinane components was 34,1%. The major p-menthane cons-
tituents were found to be α-phellandrene (11,1%) and limonene + β-phellandrene
(27,2%) and lower amounts of α-terpinene (0,5%), p-cymene (3,0%), γ-terpinene
(0,5%%), terpinolene (3,4%), terpinen-4-ol (0,9%) and α-terpineol (1,1%). The to-
tal of p-menthane constituents was as follows: p-menthane hydrocarbons (42,7%),
p-menthane aromatics (3,0%) and p-menthane alcohols (2,0%). The most important
sesquiterpene components were shown to be γ-muurolene (0.1%), β-caryophyllene
(0,1%), α-muurolene (0,2%), γ-cadinene (0,2%), δ-cadinene (0,6%), (E)-nerolidol
(4,8%), 1-epi-cubenol (0,1%), T-muurolol + T-cadinol (0,7%), α-cadinol (0,8%)
and epi-α-bisabolol (0,6%). Manoyl oxide was found as 0,1%.
According to bibliography the chemical pattern in the oils of J. oxycedrus was
to produce pinane hydrocarbons as major components (ADAMS, 2000; VANTHOR-
Arturo Velasco-Negueruela et al. Leaf essential oils analysis of Juniperus navicularis...
Botanica Complutensis
Vol. 26 (2002) 85-9187
PE et al., 1973; HOSTER, 1974 ADAMS et al., 1999: ADAMS, 1998), in the oils of J.
badia the main compounds were found to be pinane hydrocarbons, germacrene D
and manoyl oxide (ADAMS et al., 1999), in an oil of J. macrocarpa gathered in
Spain (ADAMS, 2000; ADAMS, 1998; ADAMS et al., 1999) pinane and sabinane hy-
drocarbons were present as principal constiuents and in the oil of this last species
gathered in Greece (STASSI et al., 1995) the major components were shown to be
α-pinene, cedrol and p-cymen-8-ol . Lastly in the oil of J. navicularis gathered in
Lisbon, Portugal (ADAMS, 2000; ADAMS, 1998) the main constituents were found
to be α-pinene (22,9%), sabinene (8.2%), myrcene (8,6%) α-phellandrene (8,0%)
and limonene (14,3%). According to our results the leaf oil of J. navicularis was
characterized by the production of pinane hydrocarbons and the p-menthanes li-
monene + β-phellandrene and α-phellandrene. Our results are very similar to
those of Adams (ADAMS, 2000) and these have been included for comparison in
Table 1.
Table 1
Essential oil composition (%) of Juniperus navicularis Gandoger
Component RI % Adams (2000)
Tricyclene 908 t 0,1
α-thujene 913 0,3 2,1
α-pinene 926 30,8 22,9
1-octen-3-ol 930 t —
α-fenchene 937 0,1 —
camphene 937 0,5 0,2
sabinene 953 0,5 8,2
β-pinene 963 3,3 3,5
myrcene 963 5,1 8,6
3-octanol 968 t —
δ-2-carene 983 0,3 1,2
α-phellandrene 987 11,1 8,0
δ-3-carene 994 t —
α-terpinene 1002 0,5 0,9
p-cymene 1010 3,0 2,6
limonene + β-phellandrene 1016 27,2 17,8
(Z)-β-ocimene 1010 t —
(E)-β-ocimene 1017 0,5 0,4
γ-terpinene 1035 0,5 1,6
n-octanol 1048 t —
terpinolene 1066 3,4 2,9
linalool 1074 0,5 0,2
endo-fenchol 1088 t t
exo-fenchol 1092 t —
(E)-sabinol 1105 t —
camphor 1126 t —
Arturo Velasco-Negueruela et al. Leaf essential oils analysis of Juniperus navicularis...
Botanica Complutensis
Vol. 26 (2002) 85-91 88
Table 1
Essential oil composition (%) of Juniperus navicularis Gandoger (Continuation)
Component RI % Adams (2000)
camphene hydrate 1128 t —
(E)-pinocamphone 1135 t —
borneol 1142 0,2 —
(Z)-pinocamphone 1148 t —
terpinen-4-ol 1152 0,9 2,8
p-cymen-8-ol 1158 t t
α-terpineol 1163 1,1 1,1
myrtenal 1165 t —
myrtenol 1171 t —
thymyl-methyl-ether 1213 t —
carvacryl-methyl-ether 1222 t —
9-decen-1-ol 1230 t —
2,4-decadien-1-ol 1233 t —
thymol 1251 t —
carvacrol 1282 t —
α-cubebene 1331 t —
hexadecanal 1332 t —
α-copaene 1339 0,1 t
β-bourbonene 1361 t —
β-elemene 1368 t —
β-caryophyllene 1400 0,1 0,7
cadina-3,5-diene 1426 t —
bicyclosesquiphellandrene 1428 t —
α-humulene 1433 0,1 0,3
cis-muurola-4(14),5-diene 1438 t —
cadina-1(6),4-diene 1442 t —
γ-muurolene 1450 0,1 0,1
germacrene D 1451 t 0,2
β-selinene 1459 t —
alpha-muurolene 1475 0,2 0,3
β-bisabolene 1482 t —
γ-cadinene 1489 0,2 0,6
7-epi-α-selinene 1492 t —
δ-cadinene 1497 0,6 1,9
trans-cadina-1,4-diene 1995 t —
α-cadinene 1507 t —
α-calacorene 1511 t —
elemol 1513 t —
germacrene B 1518 0,2 —
(E)-nerolidol 1528 4,8 4,2
β-oplopenone 1574 t —
1,10-diepi-cubenol 1579 t —
1-epi-cubenol 1598 0,1 —
Arturo Velasco-Negueruela et al. Leaf essential oils analysis of Juniperus navicularis...
Botanica Complutensis
Vol. 26 (2002) 85-9189
Table 1
Essential oil composition (%) of Juniperus navicularis Gandoger (Continuation)
Component RI % Adams (2000)
γ-eudesmol 1602 0,1 —
epi-α-muurolol (T-muurolol) 
+ epi-α-cadinol (T-cadinol) 1610 0,7 1,5
α-muurolol (torreyol) 1610 t 0,3
α-eudesmol 1623 t —
α-cadinol 1626 0,8 2,2
epi-α-bisabolol 1651 0,6 —
manoyl oxide 1965 0,1 0,1
t = traces (<0,1%).% in boldface = characteristic components. RI = Retention index on the DB1 column.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This research was supported by funds from Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología,
project number PB1998-0852
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Original recibido: 13 de Marzo de 2002 
Versión final recibida: 10 de Mayo de 2002
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Botanica Complutensis
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