Abstract

The oily fraction of the leaf stalk of Piper betle of Indian origin, led to the identification of number of esters compounds. The hexane eluates of n-hexane extract of P. betle yielded a waxy fraction which was rechromatographed on silica gel column. Its hexane and 25% benzene eluates yielded waxy liquids, which were small in amount and was not separated by column chromatography. Hence they were separated by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis which revealed the presence of 19 compounds. The compounds were identified by comparing their retention time and covate indexes with that of literature and by interpretation of mass spectra. Many of them are used in industry for various applications like perfumes, flavors, deodorants, antiseptic and pharmaceuticals.

Key words: Piper betle (leaf stalk), piperaceae, esters, gas chromatography mass spectrometry.