GC-MS analysis of the essential oils, and the isolation of phenylpropanoid derivatives from the aerial parts of Pimpinella aurea

A combination of VLC and PTLC of the CH2Cl2 extract of the aerial parts of the Iranian plant Pimpinella aurea afforded two phenylpropanoids, erythro-1′-(4-methoxyphenyl)-propan-1′,2′-diol (1) and erythro-1′-[4-(sec-butyl)-phenyl]-propan-1′,2′-diol (2), the latter being a natural product. The antioxidant properties of these compounds were assessed by the DPPH assay. The GC-MS analysis of the essential oils of P. aurea provided a chemical profile that was significantly different from the previously published reports.