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Physical and antibacterial characteristics of the volatile oil of Hemizygia welwitschii (Rolfe)
Author(s) -
Oyedele A. O.,
Lamikanra A.,
Orafidiya L. O.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
phytotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.019
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1573
pISSN - 0951-418X
DOI - 10.1002/ptr.2650060413
Subject(s) - antibacterial activity , diethyl ether , chemistry , food science , chloroform , essential oil , ethanol , petroleum ether , staphylococcus aureus , xylene , distilled water , biology , bacteria , chromatography , organic chemistry , extraction (chemistry) , genetics , benzene
The physical properties and antibacterial profile of the steam‐distilled volatile oil from twigs of Hemizygia welwitschii (Rolfe) have been studied. The volatile oil content of the plant was affected by the time of the day the twigs were collected and extracted, being relatively higher in daytime than at night. The oil content was higher in the leaves than in the stems and branches. However, the average yield was 0.11% v/w. The oil is soluble in ethanol, diethyl ether, chloroform, xylene and dimethylsulphoxide. The oil has a weight‐per‐millilitre of approximately 885 mg at 28 °C, a specific rotation range of −95.29 to −93.75, and a refractive index of 1.4818. The oil exhibited antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa , the latter being the most resistant organism.