Solid-phase microextraction of volatile organic compounds released from leaves and flowers of Artemisia fragrans, followed by GC and GC/MS analysis.

The chemical composition of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released from the leaves and flowers of Artemisia fragrans Willd. (Asteraceae) was investigated using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled to gas chromatography (GC) and/or GS/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The efficiency and reliability of different fibres such as modified pencil lead and commercial polyacrylate (PA) as well as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were evaluated, and pencil lead was selected to be the most suitable fibre for the extraction and sampling of the compounds. The extraction and chromatographic conditions were also optimised. Under the optimal conditions, a range of VOCs released from the leaves and flowers of A. fragrans were identified and compared. Accordingly, some bioactive components such as camphor, 1,8-cineole, alpha-terpinolene, gamma-terpinene and carvacrol were the main compounds in the VOCs released from either flowers or leaves. However, the nature and level of the volatiles in studied parts of the plant were notably varied.