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Sesquiterpenoid
Sesquiterpenes are a class of terpenes that consist of three isoprene units and often have the molecular formula C15H24. Like monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes may be cyclic or contain rings, including many combinations. Biochemical modifications such as oxidation or rearrangement produce the related sesquiterpenoids. It is estimated (2006) that 3000 sesquiterpenes have been identified. Biosynthesis and examples The reaction of geranyl pyrophosphate with isopentenyl pyrophosphate results in the 15-carbon farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP), which is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of sesquiterpenes such as farnesene. Cyclic sesquiterpenes are more common than cyclic monoterpenes because of the increased chain length and additional double bond in the sesquiterpene precursors. In addition to common six-membered ring systems such as the ones found in zingiberene and bisacurone, cyclization of one end of the chain to the other end can lead to macrocyclic rings such as humulene. Lon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terpene
Terpenes () are a class of natural products consisting of compounds with the formula (C5H8)n for n ≥ 2. Terpenes are major biosynthetic building blocks. Comprising more than 30,000 compounds, these unsaturated hydrocarbons are produced predominantly by plants, particularly Pinophyta, conifers. In plants, terpenes and terpenoids are important mediators of ecological biological interaction, interactions, while some insects use some terpenes as a form of defense. Other functions of terpenoids include cell growth modulation and plant elongation, light harvesting and photoprotection, and membrane permeability and fluidity control. Terpenes are classified by the number of carbons: monoterpenes (C10), sesquiterpenes (C15), diterpenes (C20), as examples. The terpene alpha-pinene is a major component of the common solvent, turpentine. The one terpene that has major applications is natural rubber (i.e., polyisoprene). The possibility that other terpenes could be used as precursors to pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Humulene
Humulene, also known as α-humulene or α-caryophyllene, is a naturally occurring monocyclic sesquiterpene (C15H24), containing an 11-membered ring and consisting of 3 isoprene units containing three nonconjugated C=C double bonds, two of them being triply substituted and one being doubly substituted. It was first found in the essential oils of '' Humulus lupulus'' (hops), from which it derives its name. Humulene is an isomer of β-caryophyllene, and the two are often found together as a mixture in many aromatic plants. Occurrence Humulene is one of the components of the essential oil from the flowering cone of the hops plant, '' Humulus lupulus'', from which it derives its name. The concentration of humulene varies among different varieties of the plant but can be up to 40% of the essential oil. Humulene and its reaction products in the brewing process of beer gives many beers their “hoppy” aroma. Noble hop varieties have been found to have higher levels of humulene, whil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zingiberene
Zingiberene is a cyclic compound, monocyclic sesquiterpene that is the predominant constituent of the oil of ginger (''Zingiber officinale''), from which it gets its name. It can contribute up to 30% of the Essential oil, essential oils in ginger Rhizome, rhizomes. This is the compound that gives ginger its distinct flavoring. Biosynthesis Zingiberene is formed in the isoprenoid pathway from farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP). FPP undergoes a rearrangement to give nerolidyl diphosphate. After the removal of pyrophosphate, the ring closes leaving a carbocation on the tertiary carbon attached to the ring. A 1,3-hydride shift then takes place to give a more stable allylic carbocation. The final step in the formation of zingiberene is the removal of the cyclic allylic proton and consequent formation of a double bond. Zingiberene synthase is the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the reaction forming zingiberene as well as other mono- and sesquiterpenes. See also * Gingerol * sequiphellandre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Farnesyl Pyrophosphate Skeletal
Farnesol is a natural 15-carbon organic compound which is an acyclic sesquiterpene alcohol. Under standard conditions, it is a colorless liquid. It is hydrophobic, and thus insoluble in water, but miscible with oils. As the pyrophosphate ester, farnesol is a precursor to many terpenes and terpenoids. Uses Farnesol is present in many essential oils such as citronella, neroli, cyclamen, lemon grass, tuberose, rose, musk, balsam, and tolu. It is used in perfumery to emphasize the odors of sweet, floral perfumes. It enhances perfume scent by acting as a co-solvent that regulates the volatility of the odorants. It is especially used in lilac and peony perfumes. Farnesol and its ester derivatives are important precursors for a variety of other compounds used as fragrances and vitamins. Cosmetics Farnesol is used as a deodorant in cosmetic products. Farnesol is subject to restrictions on its use in perfumery, because some people may become sensitised to it. Natural source and synt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caryophyllene
Caryophyllene (), more formally (−)-β-caryophyllene (BCP), is a natural bicyclic sesquiterpene that occurs widely in nature. Caryophyllene is notable for having a cyclobutane ring, as well as a ''trans''-double bond in a 9-membered ring, both rarities in nature. Production Caryophyllene can be produced synthetically, but it is invariably obtained from natural sources because it is widespread. It is a constituent of many essential oils, especially clove oil, the oil from the stems and flowers of ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (cloves), the essential oil of ''Cannabis sativa'', copaiba, rosemary, and hops. It is usually found as a mixture with isocaryophyllene (the ''cis'' double bond isomer) and humulene, α-humulene (obsolete name: α-caryophyllene), a ring-opened isomer. Caryophyllene is one of the chemical compounds that contributes to the odor, aroma of black pepper. Basic research β-Caryophyllene is under basic research for its potential action as an agonist of the cannab ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cade Juniper
''Juniperus oxycedrus'', vernacularly called Cade, cade juniper, prickly juniper, prickly cedar, or sharp cedar, is a species of juniper, native across the Mediterranean region, growing on a variety of rocky sites from sea level. The specific epithet ''oxycedrus'' means "sharp cedar" and this species may have been the original cedar or ''cedrus'' of the ancient Greeks. Description ''Juniperus oxycedrus'' is very variable in shape, forming a spreading shrub tall to a small erect tree tall. It has needle-like leaves in whorls of three; the leaves are green, long and broad, with a double white stomatal band (split by a green midrib) on the inner surface. It is usually dioecious, with separate male and female plants. The seed cones are berry-like, green ripening in 18 months to orange-red with a variable pink waxy coating; they are spherical, diameter, and have three or six fused scales in 1–2 whorls, three of the scales with a single seed. The seeds are dispersed when birds ea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hops
Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant ''Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to which, in addition to bitterness, they impart floral, fruity, or citrus flavours and aromas. Hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine. The hops plants have separate female and male plants, and only female plants are used for commercial production. The hop plant is a vigorous climbing herbaceous perennial, usually trained to grow up strings in a field called a hopfield, hop garden (in the South of England), or hop yard (in the West Country and United States) when grown commercially. Many different varieties of hops are grown by farmers around the world, with different types used for particular styles of beer. The first documented use of hops in beer is from the 9th century, though Hildegard of Bingen, 300 y ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cadinene
Cadinenes are a group of isomeric hydrocarbons that occur in a wide variety of essential oil-producing plants. The name is derived from that of the Cade juniper (''Juniperus oxycedrus'' L.), the wood of which yields an oil from which cadinene isomers were first isolated. Chemically, the cadinenes are bicyclic sesquiterpenes. The term ''cadinene'' has sometimes also been used in a broad sense to refer to any sesquiterpene with the so-called cadalane (4-isopropyl-1,6-dimethyldecahydronaphthalene) carbon skeleton. Because of the large number of known double-bond and stereochemical isomers, this class of compounds has been subdivided into four subclasses based on the relative stereochemistry at the isopropyl group and the two bridgehead carbon atoms. The name ''cadinene'' is now properly used only for the first subclass below, which includes the compounds originally isolated from cade oil. Only one enantiomer In chemistry, an enantiomer (Help:IPA/English, /ɪˈnænti.əmə ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Essential Oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the oil of the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. An essential oil is essential in the sense that it contains the essence of the plant's fragrance—the characteristic fragrance of the plant from which it is derived. The term "essential" used here does ''not'' mean required or usable by the human body, as with the terms essential amino acid or essential fatty acid, which are so called because they are nutritionally required by a living organism. Essential oils are generally extracted by distillation, often by using steam. Other processes include expression, solvent extraction, '' sfumatura'', absolute oil extraction, resin tapping, wax embedding, and cold pressing. They are used in perfumes, cosmetics, soaps, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
