Chemistry Project

File
Topic -

TO EXTRACT ESSENTIAL OILS PRESENT IN

SOUNF(ANISEED),AJWAIN(CAROM) AND
ELAICHI(CARDAMOM)”
CONTENTS
S.NO CONTENTS PAGE NO.
1 INTRODUCTION 5
2 EXPERIMENT 6
3 THEORY 7
4
PROCEDURE AND
REQUIREMENTS 10
OBSERVATION
5 11
CONCLUSION AND
6 PRECAUTIONS 12
7 BIBLIOGRAPHY 13
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INTRODUCTION

We are all familiar with the pleasant odours coming out from
flowers, spices and many trees. The essence or aromas of plants are due
to volatile oils present in them. These smelling volatile oils present in
plants are called essential oils. Cinnamon, clove, cumin, eucalyptus,
garlic, jasmine, peppermint, rose, sandalwood, spearmint, thyme,
wintergreen are a few familiar examples of valuable essential oils. The
term “essential oils” literally means “oils derived from the essence” of
plants. Essential oils are mainly used for their pleasant odours and
flavors in perfumes and as flavoring agents in foods. Some are used in
medicines (e.g., camphor, wintergreen, eucalyptus) others as insect
repellants (e.g., citronella).
Chemically essential oils are composed of complex mixtures
of ester, alcohols, phenols, aldehydes, ketones and hydrocarbons. They are
essentially non-polar compounds and are thus soluble in non-polar solvents
such as petroleum ether, benzene etc. Essential oils may occur in all parts of the
plant, but they are often concentrated in the seeds or flowers. They are
obtained from the plants by the process of steam distillation and extraction. The
technique of steam distillation permits the separation of volatile components
from non-volatile materials without raising the temperature of the distillation
above 100° C. Thus steam distillation reduces the risk of decomposition
of essential oils.

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 Experiment
To extract essential
oil present in Saunf
(aniseed)
Ajwain(carom) and
Elaichi(cardamom)

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Aniseed Essential oil
Aniseed, on steam distillation, yields an essential oil, known as `Oil of Aniseed`, which has
now replaced the fruits for medicinal and flavoring purposes. Aniseed oil is a colorless or
pale-yellow liquid having the characteristic odour and taste of the fruit. The yield of oil
generally varies from 1.9 to 3.1 per cent. Higher values up to 6 per cent have been reported
from Syrian aniseed. Crushing of fruits prior to distillation gives better yields of oil. The
material should be distilled soon after the crushing to prevent any loss of oil due to
evaporation.

Aniseed oil is a highly refractive liquid, which solidifies on cooling. The

congealing point depends much on the anethole content and is a valuable criterion for
evaluating the oil. Exposure of the oil to air causes polymerization, and some oxidation also
takes place with the formation of anisaldehyde and anisic acid. The chief constituent of
aniseed oil is anethole, which is present to the extent of 80 to 90 per cent and is mainly
responsible for the characteristic flavor of the oil. The oil also contains methyl chavicol ,
p-methoxyphenyl acetone, and small amount of terpenes and sulfur containing compounds
of disagreeable odour.

USES OF ANISEED OIL:-

Ø In aromatherapy, aniseed essential oil is used to treat colds and flu.

Ø Aniseed oil can be made into a liquid scent and is used for both hunting and
fishing. It is put on fishing lures to attract fish.

Ø Anethole, the principal component of anise oil, is a precursor that can

eventually produce 2,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde which is can be used in the
clandestine synthesis of psychedelic drugs such as 2C-B, 2C-I and DOB.

Ø Oil of aniseed is also reported to be used as an aromatic carminative to

relieve flatulence, and as an ingredient of cough lozenges in combinatitial oil is
also used externally as an insecticide against small insects such as head lice,
mites and vermin. It also has fungicidal properties.

Carom essential oil:

Carom seeds are also known as ajwain , Thymol seeds, Onum , Ajma , Ajmodika and
bishops weed. They are the tiny, cute, delicate and oval shaped herbs with a penetrating

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fragrance. Carom seed belongs to the family of cumin and parsley. These seeds have been
used since years as they consists number of medical properties. Because of their strong
aroma, carom seeds are highly used for the Indian culinary.

Carom seeds are sharp and hot with the burning taste, that’s why few seeds are
enough to bring the flavor in any Indian recipe. Carom seeds can be whole or powdered one.
It is always advisable to buy whole carom seeds as they can be easily turned into powder
form just by grinding them in a smooth powder.

USES OF CAROM SEEDS:-

These seeds are used for the tempering or tadka’s in the dishes.

Ajwain has strong, dominant and distinctive taste and flavor, that’s why few seeds are enough
to bring exotic fragrance to the vegetarian and non-veg food.

Ajwain can be used for making pickles as well.

The aroma and unique taste of ajwain is used for making various types of roti’s, parathas,
thepla’s and so on.

They are specially used in different types of meat, snack recipes and dal recipes to enhance
the flavor.

Soups, stocks and stews can be flavored with few seeds of ajwain.

Ajwain are highly incorporated for making various salad dressings and Indian bakery items.

Cardamom Essential oil:

Cardamom provides a warming and stimulating tonic .Cardamom is also an excellent choice
for the digestive system. I am sure I don’t have to tell you that Cardamom is greatly admired
and extensively used as a culinary spice all over the world. You can also try a gargle with
Cardamon if you suffer with halitosis (bad breath). Why not try 1 drop Cardamon and one
drop of Peppermint in a small amount of water as an effective way to freshen your breath!

USES FOR CARDAMOM

1 Smoothies

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Add some cardamom to fruit smoothies to give them an extra edge. It doesn’t matter what flavor the
basic smoothie is – in fact, the more exotic the better.

2 Fruit loaves

If you want to jazz up your banana bread or add a bit of life to your tired fruit loaf recipe, then a
touch of ground cardamom will make a world of difference. Just add the spice when you are mixing
in the rest of the dry ingredients and you will get a lovely warm, rich flavor from the finished loaf.

3 Bread

As with fruit loaves, a sprinkling of cardamom will do wonders for your bread rolls and loaves. Don’t
worry about the cardamom turning savory breads into sweet; the spice will just a hint of warmth to
the flavor and you can add as little or as much as you like, depending on taste.

4 Puddings

Many desserts benefit from the addition of cardamom – rice pudding works especially well, but you
could also try adding a little ground cardamom to ice cream, set custards, yogurt, and baked fruit.

5 Casseroles

A few pods added to a casserole dish will give a lamb, chicken or vegetable casserole an extra zing
and makes a great entertaining or moving house meal.

REQUIREMENTS:-
Steam generator (Copper Vessel), round bottom flask (500 ml), conical flask, condenser, glass
tubes, iron stand, sand bath, separatory funnel, tripod stands, burners, Ajwain(Carum),
Petroleum ether(60-80°C),Saunf(Aniseed) .

PROCEDURE:-
Set the apparatus as shown in the picture of Experimental Setup. The apparatus consists of a
steam generator connected to the round bottom flask through a glass inlet tube. The flask is

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connected to a water condenser through a glass outlet tube. Condenser is further attached to
a receiver through an adaptor. Take about 750 ml of water in the steam generator and start
heating to produce steam. In the round bottom flask take about 75 gm of crushed saunf. A
vigorous current of steam from steam generator is passed through the round bottom flask. A
part of the steam condenses in the round bottom flask. As more and more steam is passed,
the steam volatile components of saunf pass through the condenser along with steam. These
contents on condensation are collected in the receiver. The contents in the round bottom
flask may be heated by a bunsen burner to prevent excessive condensation of steam. The
process of steam distillation is continued for about half an hour. Transfer the distillate to a
separating funnel and extract with 20 ml portions of petroleum ether 3 times. Combine the
petroleum ether extracts in a 250 ml conical flask and dry it with the help of anhydrous
sodium sulphate. Remove the solvent from the dried filtrate by careful distillation in a water
bath. The essential oil is left behind in the distillation flask. Find the weight of the extracted
essential oil. Note the colour, odour and weight of the essential oil.

OBSERVATIONS:-
Name of Item Weight Initial Weight Weight Percentage of Colour Odour of
of Item Weight of bottle of essential oil of the the oil
taken (x) + essential (y/100)*100 oil
essential oil
oil (y) extracted
(y-x)
100 gm 10gm
1.) SAUNF 11.25 gm 1.25 gm 1.25 % Colour- Saunf
like smell.
-less
(ANISEED):-
75 gm 10 gm 1 gm 1.33%
2.) AJWAIN 11 gm Colour- Ajwain
like
-less
(CAROM):- smell

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Conclusion
“HENCE WE HAVE EXTRACTED ESSENTIAL OILS FROM 75
GM OF SOUNF(ANISEED), AJWAIN(CAROM) AND
ELAICHI(CARDAMOM)”

Precautions

• If you accidentally spill essential oils – Clean any spillage with an absorbent
material such as kitchen roll.
• If you accidentally get essential oils in your eye – Flush with copious amounts
of MILK for at least 15 minutes and seek medical advice if symptoms persist.
• If you accidentally swallow essential oils – Rinse mouth with MILK and seek
medical attention.

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• Handling – Do not eat, drink or smoke when handling. Respect good personal
hygiene.
• Always mix with carrier oil before applying to the skin. Never apply to
inflamed or broken skin.
• Do not use neat on skin.
• Do not take internally. If pregnant seek medical advice before using.
• Storage – Store in a cool, dry place away from heat and direct sunlight.
Always use original containers. Avoid contact with polished surfaces and
plastic.
• Keep essential oils away from children and pets

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
COMPREHENSIVE CHEMISTRY PRACTICAL CLASS-XII. Ø
HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/ANISE Ø
HTTP://WWW.ESSENTIALOILS.CO.ZA/ESSENTIAL-OILS/ANISEED.HTM

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