Analysis of western redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn) heartwood components by HPLC as a possible screening tool for trees with enhanced natural durability.

A method is described for the quantitative analysis of seven known compounds, specifically plicatic acid, thujaplicatin methyl ether, beta-thujaplicin, gamma-thujaplicin, beta-thujaplicinol, thujic acid, and methyl thujate, in the ethanol extract of second growth western redcedar heartwood (Thuja plicata Donn) by high-performance liquid chromatography using diode array detection. The para bromo phenacyl ester of crotonic acid is synthesized for use as the internal standard for the method. Separation of compounds covering a wide range of polarities is achieved using an Inertsil ODS 3 3-micro column. Twenty seven second growth trees ranging in age from 40 to 125 years, originating from the coastal and interior regions of British Columbia, are selected for analysis and profiled using the described method. Samples consisting of five growth rings each are analyzed from the heartwood-sapwood boundary to the pith for each tree. Substantial variation in most heartwood compounds are detected within and between trees within a region. Significant variation in beta-thujaplicin, the ratio between gamma- and beta-thujaplicin, and methyl thujate is detected between coastal and interior populations.