EFFECT OF TWO KINDS OF SOLVENT ON CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF Cymbopogon citratus OIL

Abstract

x ABSTRACT The experiment was designed to determine the effect of two different solvent ( N-hexane and petroleum ether) on chemical composition of lemongrass oil. The oil was extracted from lemongrass using N-hexane and petroleum ether using soxhlet extraction method. The chemical composition of essential oil obtained were analyse using GC - MS machine. The result shows 4.4% of oil were obtained from lemongrass using N-hexane and 4.9% were obtained using petroleum ether. The composition analysed by GC - MS Machine were 16. 52% of Trimethyl [4 - (2 - methyl - 4 - oxo - 2pentyl)] phenoxysilane, 4.15% acetamide, 6.54% hexamethyl, 6.58% silane and 2, 4, 6 - cycloheptatrien - 1 - one with peak area of 8. 67% in both solvent. But the chemical constituent present in lemongrass is higher using petroleum ether compar ed to that of N-hexane. This indicated that petroleum ether is much better in oil extraction and analyizing chemical constituents of lemongrass.