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Equilibrium distributions of key components of spearmint oil in sub/supercritical carbon dioxide
Author(s) -
Platin Sevan,
Özer Elif Ö.,
Akman Ugur,
Hortaçsu Öner
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
journal of the american oil chemists' society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.512
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1558-9331
pISSN - 0003-021X
DOI - 10.1007/bf02540458
Subject(s) - supercritical fluid , monoterpene , chemistry , supercritical carbon dioxide , vapor pressure , essential oil , solvent , carbon dioxide , analytical chemistry (journal) , organic chemistry , chromatography
Effects of temperature (at 35, 45 or 55°C) and pressure (10–110 atm) on the relative distribution coefficients of the twelve key components of spearmint oil (essential oil of Mentha cardiaca ; Scotch spearmint) at equilibrium in dense CO 2 were investigated under conditions ranging from subcritical to supercritical regions. Effects of vapor pressure, molecular weight and polarity of the key components on their equilibrium distributions in sub/supercritical CO 2 are discussed. At 35°C, all key components of spearmint oil are equally soluble in dense CO 2 within the 12–102 atm pressure region. At 45 and 55°C, the key components are equally soluble for pressures greater than about 60 atm. However, around either 45°C/27 atm or 55°C/35 atm conditions, the relative distribution coefficients of all monoterpene hydrocarbons and of isomenthone (an oxygenated monoterpene) exhibit maxima, which are due to significantly higher vapor pressures of these components and significantly lower solvating power of the dense‐gas solvent at these particular temperatures and pressures. Vapor‐pressure effects, coupled with the decrease in solvating power, dominate the effects of polarity and molecular mass of the key components. Deterpenation of spearmint oil with dense CO 2 is possible around either 45°C/27 atm or 55°C/35 atm, where the monoterpene hydrocarbons tend to concentrate in the CO 2 ‐rich phase.