Chemical Composition and Larvicidal Activity of the Essential Oil of Laurus nobilis L. from Iran

Abstract

The chemical composition of the essential oil obtained from the aerial parts of <em>Laurus nobilis </em>L. has been examined by gas chromatography (GC) and GC- mass<em> </em>spectrometery (MS). The main components of the oil were identified. 1,8-Cineole was the major component in the oil together with b-terpinyl acetate, terpinene-4-ol, a-pinene, b-pinene, <em>p</em>-cymene, linalool and terpinene-4-ylacetate. The essential oil was tested against <em>Anopheles stephensi</em> and <em>Culex pipiens</em> larvae. The results obtained show that the essential oil could be considered as natural larvicidal agents.