Biogenic terpenes play important roles in ecosystem functioning and atmospheric chemistry. Some of these compounds are semi-volatile and highly reactive, such as sesquiterpenes and oxygenated terpenes, and are thus difficult to quantify using traditional air sampling and analysis methods. We developed an alternative approach to quantify emissions from live branches using a flow through enclosur...

Background: Despite the considerable activity of herbal Essential Oils (EOs) as safe food preservatives, problems such as high volatility, low water solubility, and low stability in adverse environmental conditions restrict their use in food products. This work aimed to investigate in vitro antifungal activity of oil-in-water nanoemulsion of Iranian Artemisia dracunculus L. (tarragon) EO. Meth...

Everyone Exposed to Methyleugenol Whether you intend to or not, chances are you will consume approximately 6 micro-grams of methyleugenol (ME) today, according to a report in this month's issue by Dana B. Barr and colleagues of a study designed to measure ME in human blood _ serum [EHP 108:323-328]. ME is a compound that occurs naturally in a variety of spices and herbs, including clove oil, nu...

Everyone Exposed to Methyleugenol Whether you intend to or not, chances are you will consume approximately 6 micro-grams of methyleugenol (ME) today, according to a report in this month's issue by Dana B. Barr and colleagues of a study designed to measure ME in human blood _ serum [EHP 108:323-328]. ME is a compound that occurs naturally in a variety of spices and herbs, including clove oil, nu...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of terpenes in loblolly pine with respect to the potential impact of volatile organic compound emissions during drying. The total terpene content in the inside, middle, and outside of increment core sections from twelve 40-year-old loblolly pines was determined over a period of 14 months. A method for extracting and analyzing terpene...

Multiple field studies have suggested chemistry within a forest canopy is poorly understood due to inadequate detection and quantification of reactive biogenic emissions, such as terpenes. To measure emission rates of terpenes at Blodgett Forest, a coniferous forest in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, we placed enclosures over branches of the dominant species at the site – Ponderosa p...

In this paper we report chemically resolved measurements of organic aerosol (OA) and related tracers during the Biosphere Effects on Aerosols and Photochemistry Experiment (BEARPEX) at the Blodgett Forest Research Station, California from 15 August–10 October 2007. OA contributed the majority of the mass to the fine atmospheric particles and was predominately oxygenated (OOA). The highest conce...

The plant Tagetes lucida Cav. (syn. T. florida Sweet, T. schiedeana Less.) is an aromatic herb distributed naturally from Mexico to Honduras, at elevations between 1 000 and 2 000 m. It is used as a spice, for medicine, as insecticide and as ornamental plant. It is cultivated commercially in Costa Rica as a spice herb; it contains an oil having an anise-like odor, and the fresh aerial parts of ...

A single loblolly pine tree approximately 45 years in age was harvested for use in this study. Increment core samples from throughout the length of the tree bole were analyzed for terpenes. Lumber samples from different locations within the tree were tested for volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions in a pilot-scale kiln. The concentration of terpenes was also determined in samples from lumb...