Nonanal, also called nonanaldehyde, pelargonaldehyde or Aldehyde C-9, is an

aldehyde In organic chemistry, an aldehyde () is an organic compound containing a functional group with the structure . The functional group itself (without the "R" side chain) can be referred to as an aldehyde but can also be classified as a formyl grou ...

. A colourless, oily liquid, nonanal is a component of perfumes. Although it occurs in several natural oils, it is produced commercially by

hydroformylation Hydroformylation, also known as oxo synthesis or oxo process, is an industrial process for the production of aldehydes from alkenes. This chemical reaction entails the net addition of a formyl group (CHO) and a hydrogen atom to a carbon-carbon d ...

of 1-octene.

Mosquitoes

Nonanal has been identified as a compound that attracts ''

Culex ''Culex'' is a genus of mosquitoes, several species of which serve as vectors of one or more important diseases of birds, humans, and other animals. The diseases they vector include arbovirus infections such as West Nile virus, Japanese encep ...

mosquito Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning " gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "li ...

es. Nonanal acts synergistically with

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is trans ...

in that regard.Scientists Identify Key Smell that Attracts Mosquitoes to Humans – US News and World Report
Usnews.com (2009-10-28). Retrieved on 2011-01-03.

References

Fatty aldehydes Alkanals {{organic-compound-stub