Abstract

The volatile constituents of the air-dried and fresh leaves (500 g) each of Baphia nitida grown in Nigeria was obtained by hydrodistillation using an all glass Clevenger-type apparatus. The extracted oils were analyzed using a gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The essential oils obtained were colourless with an herbal smell and a yield of 0.29% (v/w) in both cases. A total of sixteen constituents representing 99.99% of B. nitida oil were obtained from the air-dried leaves while six constituents representing 100% was gotten from the fresh leaves. Oleic acid (54.69%) was the main constituent of the air-dried leaves essential oil, followed by 2-Propanoic acid-3-[4-[[4-methoxyphenyl)methylene]amino]phenyl]-ethyl ester (17.65%), 2-Hydroyethyl Oleate (5.86%) and Palmitoleic acid (5.29%). The fresh leaves had methyl palmitate (33.63%) as the major constituent while methyl stearate (3.83%) was the least. Carboxylic acids (68.40%), Esters (26.99%), Hydrocarbons (3.04%) and aldehyde (1.56%) were the common classes in the air-dried leaves while Monoterpenoids (37.27%) and Esters (62.73%) were those in the fresh leaves. Oleic acid and methyl palmitate present as the major constituents in the oils justifies the traditional use of the plant against parasitic skin disease and as an anti-inflammatory agent.