Patent ID: 7375239

Claim:
A method of separating ZE-nepetalactone and EZ-nepetalactone from catnip oil, comprising mixing catnip oil dissolved in at least one water immiscible, non-halogenated organic solvent with at least one inorganic base to form a biphasic mixture, stirring said biphasic mixture to hydrolyze ZE-nepetalactone to form ZE-nepetalic acid, separating the aqueous phase containing ZE-nepetalic acid from the organic phase containing EZ-nepetalactone in said biphasic mixture, and optionally acidifying the aqueous phase to about pH 4.5 and adding at least one water immiscible, non-halogenated organic solvent to azeotropically lactonize said ZE-nepetalic acid in the presence of p-toluene sulfonic acid to form ZE-nepetalactone.