Characterization and comparison of tea tree and lavender oils by using comprehensive gas chromatography

The essential oils from French lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) were separated by the two-dimensional GC technique of comprehensive gas chromatography. A coupled column combination of non-polar (5% phenyl equivalent) and polyethylene glycol phase columns was used to provide the desired resolution performance. By using a range of known standards, some of the peaks in lavender oil can be assigned. Some of these also occur in tea tree oil; however, from our knowledge of the major constituents in this oil and their relative retention behaviour, most of the major peaks may be tentatively assigned within the 2-dimensional separation space. There appear to be elution patterns within the 2-D space which should be useful in correlating retention with chemical and structural properties of the components, although this will require further evaluation. A range of coeluting peaks, which may not be so readily separated by using a single column capillary GC analysis, are resolved in the experiment described.