Myrcene

  • 7-methyl 3-methylene -1 ,6-octadiene
  • β - myrcene

Colorless to yellowish liquid

Liquid

0.80 g · cm -3

167 ° C.

2.68 hPa

Insoluble in water (6 mg · l-1 at 25 ° C)

1.4697

Attention

Template: Infobox chemical / molecular formula search available

Myrcene ( stress on the second syllable, myrcene, with the systematic name of 7 -methyl-3 -methylene- 1 ,6-octadiene ) is a triply unsaturated acyclic monoterpene hydrocarbon, and a component of many essential oils.

Occurrence

Myrcene is found in plants frequently, including in pines ( Pinus species ), ginger family ( Amomum species), mints (Mentha species), sage, caraway, fennel, tarragon, dill, mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), angelica (Angelica archangelica ), hops and hemp and many others.

Myrcene continues to be a pheromone of the bark beetle ( Scolytidae ), which attracts the insects as the verbenol. The beetles deterrent antagonist is the verbenone.

Properties and Preparation

Myrcene is a colorless to slightly yellow liquid which boils at 167 ° C. The flash point is 39 ° C. Myrcene is readily soluble in solvents such as ethanol, chloroform and ether, on the other hand in water. Myrcene is prepared by pyrolysis of β -pinene in turpentine oil.

Use

Myrcene is used for the production of odors and flavors, which are used in perfumery and pharmacy. Other acyclic monoterpenes are synthesized from myrcene.

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