The fragrance of flower is due to the presence of some steam volatile organic compounds called essential oils. These are generally insoluble in water at room temperature but are miscible with water vapour. A suitable method for the extraction of these oils from the flower is,
Steam distillation is the appropriate method for extracting essential oils from flowers. Essential oils are steam volatile and can be distilled along with water vapor, which allows them to be separated from the non-volatile organic compounds present in the flowers.