[danteOne]

Next week in lab, I am going to an essential oil with steam distillation. I can chose the essential oil that I isolate and I was wondering if anyone here had any suggestions on an interesting one to do.
Here is a list of the ones that they suggest. Does anyone have any ideas for something not on the list or want to offer insight into why to chose one over another?

Source      Major Component of Oil
Clove buds or ground cloves      Eugenol
Allspice      Eugenol
The fresh peel from an orange or grapefruit   Limonene
Ground cumin      Cuminaldehyde
Caraway seeds      (+)-Carvone/Limonene
Spearmint leaves      (-)-Carvone
Vanilla beans      Vanillin
Cinnamon sticks      Cinnamaldehyde
(Ground cinnamon tends to char and foam.)   
Fennel seeds      Limonene/Anethole
Dill seeds      Limonene
Mint      Menthol
Parsley      Pinenes/Apiole
Sage      Thujones/Camphor
Pine Needles      Pinenes/Camphenes
Lavender      Fenchone/Camphor
Anise seed      Anethole
Rosemary      Myristicin
Basil      Estragole
Sequoia needles      Elemicin
Others      Check with instructor

[curiouscat]

I'd go with orange. Oil content seems fairly high. Peels are easy to procure in large quantity too.

Peels are soft so extraction won't be that hard. Besides the smell is good and you can probably use it as an air freshener or something.

[kriggy]

you do only isolation of that compound?
If yes I would choose the one with smell you like most. I did this with cumin and it wasnt that plesant for me lol..
edit: I wanted to do THC but didnt have time to ask my teacher about and/or get some. Im not even sure If it could be isolated with steam distilation

[curiouscat]

edit: I wanted to do THC but didnt have time to ask my teacher about and/or get some. Im not even sure If it could be isolated with steam distilation

Would prbly be illegal

[kriggy]

edit: I wanted to do THC but didnt have time to ask my teacher about and/or get some. Im not even sure If it could be isolated with steam distilation

Would prbly be illegal

Good point. We have more liberal law when it comes to THC or marihuana but its not same in every country

[Archer]

German Chamomile is an interesting one to distill, you get a compound called chamazulene which is a fabulous blue colour.

The colour is actually an artefact from the steam distillation of matricine.

Or the related Scentless Mayweed, Tripleurospermum inodorum (a weed in many countries) which contains matricaria ester. It has no fragrance but it is simple to isolate from crystallisation from hexane and it is a very unusual substance

[billnotgatez]

@Archer
matricaria ester is not in WIKI
But I get lots of hits via GOOGLE
But the output of GOOGLE was not succinct

[Archer]

https://www.thieme-connect.com/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-2006-957896

This journal covers the essential oil of scentless mayweed.

[danteOne]

Thanks for the suggestion. I searched around my university for that  flower but I couldn't find a single one (I know it grows in my area). I think it will be easier to use something on the list I posted. I was told not to use oranges or cinnamon because everyone uses oranges and cinnamon but I also have to be able to buy it or find it very easily. I am in the Pacific Northwest.

[Archer]

Coriander (cillantro) seeds give a high linalool content oil (I am not sure on the yields). I know this is "off list" but they are easy to obtain and the aroma is very pleasant.