Volatile constituents of Boswellia serrata Roxb. (Burseraceae) bark

The composition of the essential oil of Boswellia serrata obtained by hydrodistillation of the bark of B. serrata was determined by the use of GC and GC-MS. Thirty-five constituents were identified by their retention (Kovats) indices on Cpsil 5 and by their mass spectra. The essential oil of B. serrata predominantly comprised monoterpenoids, of which alpha-pinene (73.3%) was the major constituent. Other monoterpenoids identified included beta-pinene (2.05%), cis-verbenol (1.97%), trans-pinocarveol (1.80%), borneol (1.78%), myrcene (1.71%), verbenone (1.71%), limonene (1.42%), thuja-2,4(10)-diene (1.18%) and p-cymene (1.0%), while alpha-copaene (0.13%) was the only sesquiterpene identified in the oil. Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.