The oil extracted from the trunk of the copaiba tree (Copailferu offieinalis) i s composed of sesquiterpenes, C15H24, and a small amount (c7 %) of sesquiterpenols, C15H260; these were identified from their Kovats indices and mass spectra. The use of zeolites in the catalytic transformation of this renewable source of hydrocarbons is of interest in the search for new chemicals and ecologically clean fuels. Oil samples from copaiba trees growing in Colombia's Oriental Plains were circulated over zeolite ZSMJ in a continuous flow fixed-bed micro reactor at 225,265, and 325 "C, for 1 h and subsequently analyzed by HRGC and GC-MS. Whereas only thirty four sesquiterpenes were identified in the original oil, over two hundred compounds were found in the product of the treatment of copaiba oil with zeolite ZSM-5. This complex mixture of sesquiterpenes, light aromatic compounds, and indene and naphthalene derivatives resulted from reactions such as isomerization, hydrogenation, cracking, and dehydrogenation with and without cracking. The amount of cracking products and aromatic compounds increased with reactor temperature but decreased with catalyst aging.
50 mL min-')for the DBWAX and DB-l(60 m) columns and for the DB-1 (30 m) column, respectively. In all the run$, the detector and injector temperatures were set at 250 "C.