Comparison of Volatile Organic Compounds of Thymus Vulgaris Using Hydrodistillation and Headspace Solid Phase Microextraction Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

Abstract Essential oil of aerial parts of Tymus vulgaris L. from Babaaman montains of Iran were isolated by hydrodistillation with an average oil yield 1.9 w/w%. The components of the oil were identified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. On a separate experiments the compositions of volatile emission of the plant were studied by headspace solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The tempratures used during the sample preparation were 25°C and 50°C. In order to determine the effect of solvent (water) on the separation, the experiments were done in the presence and absence of distilled water in the extraction vial at the tempratures mentioned above. Ten majour components were obtained in four different experimental headspace solid phase microextraction conditions and the hydrodistillation methods from the plant. Thymol was found to be the most abundant costituent (27.2–73.09%), follwoed by p‐cymene (6.86–31.76%), γ‐terpinene (1.02–9.26%), myrcene (0.05–8.84%), α‐pinene (0.25–6.63%), caryophyllene (3.09–5.56%), thymol methyl ether (0.99–2.97%), thymolacetate (0.11–2.05%), carvacrol (0.49–1.70%) and α‐cadinol (0.38–1.10%).