Co-Authors:
streloke, M., FB Biologie, LG Zoologie-Entomologie, Universität Hannover, Hannover 21, D-3000, Germany
Ascher, K.R.S., FB Biologie, LG Zoologie-Entomologie, Universität Hannover, Hannover 21, D-3000, Germany
Schmidt, G.H., FB Biologie, LG Zoologie-Entomologie, Universität Hannover, Hannover 21, D-3000, Germany
Neumann, W.P., Abt. Chemie, Lehrstuhl für Organische Chemie I, Universitat Dortmund, Dortmund 50, D-4600, Germany
Abstract:
The effect of Acorus calamus products on insects is reviewed briefly. A sudden, dramatic drop occurs in the insecticidal, gaseous phase activity of calamus oil on stored-product pests, when the exposure temperature is lowered from 30° to 25°C. In an attempt to explain this finding, the vapor pressure of the main constituent of Indian Acorus calamus essential oil, β-asarone, was determined by three methods: (i) extrapolation with a gas-chromatographic method according to Jensen and Schall; (ii) calculation from boiling points with the Clausius-Clapeyron equation; and (iii) direct measurement with the Knudsen cell. The values of vapor pressure of β-asarone at 30°C according to these three methods were 3.3 x 10-3, 3.7 x 10-3 and 9.8 x 10-4 Torr, respectively. The volatility of β-asarone under the conditions of the fumigant experiments mentioned above was assayed by determining the weight loss from 50 mg asarone allowed to evaporate at 30°C from a filter paper disk into a 400 ml hermetically closed glass vessel. The weight loss was approximately 0.75 mg/400 ml receptacle space (≈1.9 mg/l) for every 10 days from day 0 to day 40. © 1989 Springer Science + Business Media B.V.