GC-MS analysis of the essential oils, and the isolation of phenylpropanoid derivatives from the aerial parts of Pimpinella aurea

A combination of vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) and preparative thin layer chromatography (PTLC) of the dichloromethane extract of the aerial parts of the Iranian plant Pimpinella aurea afforded two phenylpropanoids, erythro-1'-(4-methoxyphenyl)-propan-1',2'-diol (1) and erythro-1'-[4-(sec-butyl)-phenyl]-propan-1',2'-diol (2), the latter being a natural product. The structures of these compounds were determined by spectroscopic means. The antioxidant properties of these compounds were assessed by the DPPH assay. The GC-MS analysis of the essential oils of P. aurea provided a chemical profile that was significantly different from the previously published reports.