Essential oils are sources of special metabolites of high interest, many of them with application in
perfume and cosmetic industries. They consist mainly of phenylpropanoids and terpenes, being
responsible for the different aromas presented in each species. The Amazon region has the
biggest rainforest in the world, and is extremely rich in fauna and flora. The chemical constituents
found in the Amazonian botanical families characterize the region for presenting the greatest biological diversity in the world. Inserted in the Central Amazonia, inside the two million people capital of Brazilian Amazonas State, Manaus, the Campus of the Amazonas Federal University is the world largest urban forest fragment. In about 700 hectares of a vast vegetal biodiversity, the rich bioma is almost unknown. The knowledge of the chemical composition of its flora is still
scarce in the literature, considering such immensity and potential to be explored. Botanical families such as Lauraceae and Piperaceae, already known to produce essential oils, are part of this flora. The present work aims to contribute to the knowledge of the chemical composition of the aromatic oils obtained from the plant biological diversity of the Campus of the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM). Leaves and twigs were collected from 21 species, which were identified (exsiccates deposited at UFAM herbarium) and prepared for extraction, varying the
method between modified Clevenger and steam in the electric extractor, extractions made in triplicate. Constituents were by comparison of retention indexes and mass spectra obtained by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and confirmed by comparison with the literature. Among these plants, 9 species produced oil, which belong to the families Piperaceae, Siparunaceae, Sapindaceae, Icarcinaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Lauraceae, families
known for the production of essential oils. Due to the difference in quantity of material used, method chosen and the oil production capacity of the species, different yields of essential oils were obtained. Among the essential oils obtained, is highlighted Piper aduncum, with yielded 2% and was constituted mainly of dilapiol (97%), a percentual higher than the observed in literature 64-90% of dilapiol. Another Piperaceae, Piper hostmannianum, with few reports on literature yielded only 0.19%, with β-caryophyllene (16.66%), spatulenol (14.42%), limonene (13.86%) and β-elemene (8.80%) identified as major constituents, percentual similar to that seen in the literature, where β-caryophyllene (12.9%), β-elemene (11.3%) and β-eudesmol (9.2%) are the main constituents. Also in Piperaceae, Piper hispidum yielded about 0.7%. Still in Piperaceae family, another specie of the genus Piper yielded about 0.16%. From Lauraceae family, the specie Ocotea guianensis yielded about 0.10%, consisting mainly of caryophyllene oxide (36.69%), spatulenol (22.44%), β-bisabolene (8.42%), 1,8-cineole and α-cadinol (2.21%). From Siparunaceae family, the specie Siparuna guianensis yielded about 0.14%. Essential oils from the families Sapindaceae and Icarcinaceae yielded about 1.34% and 0.02%, respectively. Another oil, from the family Euphorbiaceae, Croton lanjouwensis, yielded about 0.04%. The essential oils are feasible for use in cosmetics, perfumes and medicines, being a sustainable economic alternative for the development of the region. The studies related the use of biomolecules extracted from Amazonian plants are very useful due to the still scarce knowledge
of such vast flora.