Application of low-pressure gas chromatography–ion-trap mass spectrometry to the analysis of the essential oil of Turnera diffusa (Ward.) Urb.

Turnera diffusa Willd. var. afrodisiaca (Ward) Urb. (syn. T. aphrodisiaca) belongs to the family of Turneraceae and is an aromatic plant growing wild in the subtropical regions of America and Africa. It is widely used in the traditional medicine as e.g. anti-cough, diuretic, and aphrodisiac agent. This work presents a 3 min chromatographic analysis using low-pressure (LP) gas chromatography (GC)–ion-trap (IT) mass spectrometry (MS). The combination of a deactivated 0.6 m×0.10 mm i.d., restrictor with a wide-bore CP-Wax 52 capillary column (10 m×0.53 mm i.d., 1 μm) reduces the analysis time by a factor of 3–7 in comparison to the use of a conventional narrow bore column. Chromatographic conditions have been optimized to achieve the fastest separation with the highest signal/noise ratio in MS detection. These results allow fast and reliable quality control of the essential oil to be achieved.