The genus Cinnamomum

Ketones and oxides:
Camphor, piperitone, cineole, 1,4-cineole, safrole, linalool monoxide.
Alcohols:
Camphor Tree 225
l-Linalool, geraniol, citronellol, d-citronellol, d-borneol, cuminyl alcohol, dihydrocuminyl
alcohol, -terpineol, dl--terpineol, l--terpineol, terpinen-1-ol, terpinen-
4-ol.
Phenols and phenol ethers:
Cresol, ethyl phenol, ethyl guaicol methylethyl phenol, carvacrol, eugenol, methyleugenol,
dihydroeugenol, propylpyrocatechol, elemicin, laurol, microl.
Terpenes:
-Pinene, -pinene, camphene, l-camphene, fenchene, phellandrene, dipentene,
l-limonene, p-cymene, d-sabinene, -terpinene, -terpinene, l--thujene.
Sesquiterpenes:
Bisabolene, cadinene, caryophyllene, camphazulone.
Diterpenes:
-Camphorene, -camphorene, ho-sho-diterpene.
Hirota (1956) and Hirota and Horoi (1967) have given the comparative figures of the
composition of unrectified camphor oils found in Table 9.6.
Wan-Yang et al. (1989) conducted a detailed study of the chemical composition of
camphor trees growing in China (Tables 9.7, 9.8). They have analysed 363 essential oil
samples using GC and GC-MS and identified 34 chemical compounds. Depending
upon the predominance of particular chemical compounds they recognised five chemotypes:
camphor-type, linalool-type, cineole type, isonerolidol type and borneol type
(Table 9.9).
Van Khein et al. (1998) studied the chemical segregation of progenies of camphor
trees with high camphor and linalool contents. The leaf oil contents were analysed by
Table 9.6 Composition of unrectified camphor oils (%)
Compounds Japan Taiwan China
Monoterpenes 14 7.2 18.9–18.5
Cineole 4.6 4.1 19.0–21.6
Camphor 45.6 39.6 36.8–33.3
Terpenealcohols 9.9 36.8 16.3–9.3
Safrole 18.1 7.8 2.9–0.8
Sesquiterpenes (plus alcohol) 6.2 2.0 6.3–3.0
Others 1.2 2.0 1.7–1.8
Resinous matter 0.4 0.5 1.1–1.7
Source: Hirota and Hiroi, 1967.