Phytochemical Studies of Some Seed Oils from Arid Zone of Rajasthan

Pratibha Jaiswal, Akleshwar Mathur and M. R. K. Sherwani*

Department of Chemistry, J.N.V. University, Jodhpur- 342 005 (India)

Seed from six plant species belonging to various rare botanical families viz. Tecomella undulata, (Bignonaceae); Ocimum americamum, (Lamiaceae); Lepidium sativum (Brassicaceae); Ziziphus mauritiana (Rhamnaceae); Cassia alata, (Caesalpiniaceae) and Manihot kanki (Euphorbiaceae) all collected from arid zone of Rajasthan have been identified and studies for their component fatty acids and physico-chemical characteristics using UV, IR, TLC and GLC techniques. All the oils reported are rich in unsaturated fatty acids. The predominating acid is linoleic acid. The oils of O. americanum and Z. mauritiana have been found to contain very high percentage of linoleic and linolenic acids, a characteristic of vegetable oils.

Cr(III), Co(II) complexes; DPCPTSC; Thiosemicarbazone; Antifungal activity