Chemical Composition of Australian Sandalwood Oil

Australian Sandalwood oil consists primarily of sesquiterpene. The chief constituent is santalol, a mixture of two primary sesquiterpene alcohols, alpha (4) and beta (5) – santalol, of chemical formula C15H24O:

Santalum album (Indian Sandalwood) and Santalum spicatum (Australian Sandalwood) contain similar components, although the concentrations differ. The Indian Sandalwood oil does not contain E, E, farnesol, which imparts both a muguet odour and beneficial antimicrobial properties, or alpha – bisabolol, which provides beneficial anti-inflammatory effects. Australian Sandalwood oil also contains the sesquiterpene furan known as dendrolasin, absent from its Indian counterpart, which imparts a sweet, lemongrass odour, and is purported to contribute to anti – inflammatory effects.

The sesquiterpene hydrocarbons identified in the Australian Sandalwood oil constitute approximately 10% of the total oil. They consist of about 10 compounds, primarily α -, β - and epi - β - santalene.

A typical gas chromatogram of Australian Sandalwood oil follows:

The two largest peaks are that of α - and β - santalol, and the three largest peaks between these are epi α - bisabolol, z - α (trans) bergamatol and epi - β - santalol, respectively. All the large peaks represented on the chromatogram are alcohols.