Lemon Oil – Uses, Botanical Source, Characters, and Chemical Constituents

Synonyms:

Oil of Lemon, Oleum Limonis

Biological source:

Lemon oil is obtained by expression from the fruit peel of Citrus limon (Linn.) Burm. Of the family Rutaceae.

Geographical source:

Lemon-tree is a native of India. It is now cultivated in commercial scale in Sicily, Italy, Spain, Portugal, California and the West Indies.

Lemon Oil

Macroscopical and microscopical characters:

Lemon oil is a pale yellow, thin oily liquid and has a specific gravity of 0.857 to 0.861. It possesses a pleasant aromatic odour and aromatic lemon taste. It is insoluble in water, but is miscible with ether and chloroform.

Chemical constituents:

Lemon oil mainly contains d-limonenc (about 90 percent) and citral (about 4 percent). It also contains small quantities of citronella), geranyl acetate, tcrpineol, a scsquitcrpene and aldchydcs.

Uses:

Lemon oil is principally used as a flavouring agent. It also possesses stimulant, carminative and stomachic properties.

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