Clove leaf oil is obtained by steam distillation. Typical yield of oil from clove leaves is 2%. Approximately 2,000 tons of
clove leaf oil is produced worldwide. The main producers of clove leaf oil are Madagascar (900 tons), Indonesia (850 tons), Tanzania
(200 tons), Sri Lanka and Brazil. It has the characteristic odor of eugenol.
Clove leaf oil is obtained in 2–3% yield by steam distillation of the leaves of
the aforementioned plant.
d2020 1.039–1.049; n20D 1.5280–1.5350; phenol content: min. 80%, for
Indonesian origin 78%; content by GC: eugenol 80–92%, caryophyllene 4–17%, eugenol acetate 0.2–1%.
Freshly distilled oil is yellow, but turns dark violet after aging in iron containers. It is soluble in
propylene glycol and in most fixed oils, with slight opalescence. It is relatively insoluble in glycerin and in mineral oil.
Essential oil composition
The oil has a high concentration of eugenol, making it a preferred source for eugenol and subsequent
conversion to isoeugenol, derivatives of eugenol and vanillin. Trace quantities of naphthalene and a bicyclic sesquiterpene alcohol
may be present in the leaf oil. Little or no eugenyl acetate is present.
Moderately toxic by
ingestion and skin contact. A severe skin
irritant. When heated to decomposition it
emits acrid smoke and fumes.
