Chemometric analysis of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes of conifers.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and essential oils of conifers are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. This work aimed to analyze the VOCs of 30 conifer species representing the Pinaceae and Cupressaceae families. Samples were collected from arboreta in Hungary, and their chemical composition was determined by gas chromatography (SPME-GC/MS); then, chemometric analyses were performed using multivariate methods to identify characteristic VOCs of conifers.