Eucalyptol, an All-Purpose Product

Abstract

Eucalyptus plants have attracted the attention of researchers and environmentalists worldwide because they are a rapidly growing source of wood and a source of oil used for multiple purposes. The main and the most important oil component is 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol: 60%–85%). This review summarizes the literature reported to date involving the use of 1,8-cineole for the treatment of disorders. Additionally, we describe our efforts in the use of eucalyptol as a solvent for the synthesis of O,S,N-heterocycles. Solvents used in chemistry are a fundamental element of the environmental performance of processes in corporate and academic laboratories. Their influence on costs, safety and health cannot be neglected. Green solvents such as bio-based systems hold considerable additional promise to reduce the environmental impact of organic chemistry. The first section outlines the process leading to our discovery of an unprecedented solvent and its validation in the first coupling reactions. This section continues with the description of its properties and characteristics and its reuse as reported in the various studies conducted. The second section highlights the use of eucalyptol in a series of coupling reactions (i.e., Suzuki–Miyaura, Sonogashira–Hagihara, Buchwald–Hartwig, Migita–Kosugi–Stille, Hiyama and cyanation) that form O,S,N-heterocycles. We describe the optimization process applied to reach the ideal conditions. We also show that eucalyptol can be a good alternative to build heterocycles that contain oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen. These studies allowed us to demonstrate the viability and potential that bio solvents can have in synthesis laboratories.

Phytochemical Profile, Preliminary Toxicity, and Antioxidant Capacity of the Essential Oils of Myrciaria floribunda (H. West ex Willd.) O. Berg. and Myrcia sylvatica (G. Mey) DC. (Myrtaceae)

“…This compound also has several industrial applications, mainly in the production of pharmaceuticals and as a flavoring of foods and toothpastes [ 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 ]. Recent studies also point to the use of this compound as a biosolvent and anti-corrosion agent, as it is an ecological alternative to synthetic products [ 68 , 69 , 70 ].…”

Monitoring of Catalyst-Free Microwave-Assisted MCR-Type Synthesis of 2-Amino-3-cyano-4H-chromene Derivatives Using Raman Spectrometry

“…As eucalyptol has recently been highlighted as a relevant sustainable solvent for organic transformations and heterocyclic chemistry, 49 50 51 a case study was carried out on a range of five aldehydes at 200 °C for 5 minutes (Scheme 3 ).…”

Optimization and Comparison of Microwave‐Assisted Extraction, Supercritical Fluid Extraction, and Eucalyptus Oil–Assisted Extraction of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Soil and Sediment

“…Another type of plant‐derived oils are the essential oils, and Kariyawasam, Prenzler, et al (2022) explored the application of eucalyptus oil (Eu‐oil) to extract PAHs from soils and sediments, which allowed direct analysis of the extract without the use of hazardous industrial organic solvents and sophisticated technology. The major compound in Eu‐oil is eucalyptol (84.39%), with 19 other compounds, including limonene and α‐terpineol occurring at <6% (Campos & Berteina‐Raboin, 2022). Eucalyptol has a polarity comparable to toluene and hexane, with a log octanol–water partition coefficient ( K OW ) of 2.74 (PubChem, 2022b), which is analogous to toluene (log K OW = 2.73; PubChem, 2022a) and slightly lower than that of hexane (log K OW = 3.90; PubChem, 2022c).…”