Sandalwood Properties

Anatomical Properties

Physical Properties

Mechanical Properties

Chemical Properties

Anatomical Properties

Santalum album Linn. Cross Section
Santalum album Linn. Radial Section
Santalum album Linn. Tangential Section

Photos Courtesy: Wood Properties and Uses Division, IWST, Bangalore

 

Cross Structure: A diffuse-porous wood. Growth rings indistinct to distinct, 2 per cm. Vessels/Pores small to very small, numerous (35-46 per mm2), evenly distributed, exclusively solitary, sllmetimes filled with brown deposits, round to oval in outline. Parenchyma/Soft tissues not visible to the eye. Rays fine to very fine, closely spaced, uniformly distributed, ray flecks present on the radial surface.

Minute Structure: Vessels upto 91 µm (mean 66 ± 1 µm) in diameter, perforation plate simple, intervascular pitting round, alternate, 6-7 µm in diameter, pits leading to rays are more of less similar to inlervascular pitting; 199-525 µm (mean 348 ± 4 µm) in length, truncate of abruptly tailed at one or both ends, orange-brown gummy deposits present. Parenchyma predominantly apotracheal, diffuse as Scattered few cells or in aggregates, brownish-yellow oily infiltration present, parenchyma strands composed of 2-4 cells, sometimes subdivides into crystaliferous locules eaeh containing solitary crystal. Fibres mostly angular, not radially aligned in cross section, average maximum diameter and wall thickness 19 µm and 5.5 µm respectively; 507-1611 µm (mean 1204 ± 9 µm) long; interfibre pitting bordered confined to radial and tangential walls, fibre tracheids present. Rays 1-2 seriate, 10-12 per mm (t), heterogeneous; (i) uniseriate rays, about 8 µm in width and upto 7 cells or 118 µm in height, composed of either entirely procumbent cells or mixed square and procumbent cells; (ii) biseriate rays, about 25µm in width and up to 17 cells or 315µm in height, composed of procumbent cells with single marginal row of square cells, pinkish brown infiltration present in the rays cells.

Physical Properties

Sapwood and heartwood are distinct. Sapwood white; heartwood yellowish­-brown with very pleasant characteristic scent; heavy to very heavy, air-dry weight 860-910 kg/ m3 (53-57 Ib/ft3). Straight or occasionally slight wavy grained, very fine and even textured.

Mechanical Properties

Heartwood of Santalum album is moderately hard, heavy, and strongly scented and yellow or brown in colour. Sandalwood being close grained and amenable to carving, is one of the finest woods for the purpose. It is used in making idols and inlay ivory work. Such work is done on cottage industry scale.

Chemical Properties

Powder of heartwood upon steam distillation yields Sandalwood oil. The oil content varies from 3% - 6%. Light coloured wood generally contains higher percentage of oil than dark coloured.

Characteristics and Composition of Sandal Oil

Ø      Colourless to golden yellow viscous liquid.

Ø      Sp.Gr.0.962-0.985

Ø      Alcohol content – Santalos > 90%

Ø      Refractive index at 20oC = 1.504

Ø      Solubility in 70% alcohol 1:5 volumes

Ø      Optical rotation 19o-20o

Ø      Acid value – 1.9-2.2

Ø      Ester value – 13-16

Ø      Ester value after acetilation – 210-215

Ø      Ester content 1.6-5.4%

Chemical Components  Parts Used for extraction
(E)-5-(2,3-DIMETHYL-3-NORTRICYCYL)-PENT-3-EN-2-ONE Wood
(E)-ALPHA-SANTALAL Wood
(E)-BETA-SANTALAL Wood
1-ALLOHYDROXYPROLINE  Fruit
1-FURFURYL-PYRROLE Wood
1-METHOXY-4-ALLYL-GUAIACOL Wood
11-METHYL-7-OXA-TETRACYCLODODECANE Plant
2-METHYL-3-METHYLENENORBORNAN-2-OL  Plant
2-METHYL-3-METHYLENENORBORNAN-2-OL Plant
4-(P-TOLYL)-VALERALDEHYDE Wood
4-ETHYL-GUAIACOL Wood
4-METHYL-CYCLOHEX-3-EN-1-YL-METHYL-KETONE Wood
4-METHYL-CYCLOHEXA-1,3-DIEN-1-YL-METHYL-KETONE Wood
4-METHYL-GUAIACOL Wood
4-VINYL-GUAIACOL Wood
4-VINYL-PHENOL Wood
5,6-DIMETHYL-5-NORBORNEN-EXO-2-OL Wood
ALANINE Fruit
ALPHA-CURCUMENE Wood
ALPHA-SANTALENE Wood
ALPHA-SANTALIC-ACID Wood
ALPHA-SANTALOL Wood
ALPHA-TERPINEOL Wood
ASPARAGINE Fruit
BETA-CURCUMENE Wood
BETA-FARNESENE Wood
BETA-SANTALENE Wood
BETA-SANTALIC-ACID Wood
BETA-SANTALOL Wood
BETA-SITOSTEROL Fruit
BETULIC-ACID Fruit
BORNEOL Wood
CITRONELLOL Wood
D-10-HYDROXY-PALMITONE Wax
ENDO-2-ENDO-3-DIMETHYL-NORBORNAN-EXO-2-OL Wood
ENDO-2-METHYL-3-METHYLIDENE-NORBORNAN-EXO-2-OL Wood
Essential Oil (EO) Root 100,000 ppm; Wood 15,000 - 62,500 ppm
EPI-BETA-SANTALENE Wood
EUGENOL Wood
EXO-NORBICYCLOEKASANTALAL Plant
FAT Seed 500,000 - 600,000 ppm
FRUCTOSE Fruit
GAMMA-SANTALIC-ACID Wood
GERANIOL Wood
GLUCOSE Fruit
GUAIACOL Wood
ISOEUGENOL Wood
ISOVALERALDEHYDE Wood
L-SANTENONE Wood
LACTONE Wood
LINOLEIC-ACID Fruit
LYSINE Fruit
N-OCTACOSANOL Wax
N-TRIACONTANOL Wax
NORTRICYCLOEKASANTALAL Wood
NORTRICYCLOEKASANTALENE Wood
NORTRICYCLOEKASANTALIC-ACID Wood
NORTRICYCLOEKASANTALOL Wood
O-CRESOL Wood
OCTADEC-11-EN-9YN-ACID Fruit
OLEIC-ACID Fruit
P-CRESOL Wood
P-METHYL-ACETOPHENONE Wood
PALMITIC-ACID Fruit
PALMITONE Wax 440,000 ppm
PHENOL Wood
PROLINE Fruit
RESIN  Wood 50,000 - 80,000 ppm
SANTALAL Wood
SANTALBIC-ACID Seed
SANTALOL Root 95,900 ppm; Wood 13,500 - 61,250 ppm
SANTALONE Wood
SANTENE Wood
SANTENOL Wood
SERINE Fruit
STEAROLIC-ACID Seed
SUCROSE Fruit
TANNIN Wood
TERESANTALAL  Wood
TERESANTALIC-ACID Wood
TERESANTALOL Wood
TERESANTANOL Wood
TRICYCLOEKASANTALIC-ACID Wood
TRICYCLOEKASANTALOL Plant

 

Reference:

Ø      Duke, James A. 1992. Handbook of phytochemical constituents of GRAS herbs and other economic plants. Boca Raton, FL. CRC Press. 

Ø      Agrawal, S.P., & Pande, P.K., Anatomy of Commercial Timbers of South Zone, Part –II, Indian Forest Records, Vol. 4, Wood Anatomy, No. 3 

Ø      http://www.frienvis.nic.in/WriteReadData/UserFiles/file/pdfs/Sandal.pdf viewed 12th August 2015.