Cinnamyl alcohol or styron is an

organic compound In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. Th ...

that is found in

ester In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an oxoacid (organic or inorganic) in which at least one hydroxyl group () is replaced by an alkoxy group (), as in the substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. Glycerides ...

ified form in

storax Storax ( la, storax; el, στύραξ, ''stúrax''), often commercially sold as styrax, is a natural resin isolated from the wounded bark of ''Liquidambar orientalis'' Mill. (Asia Minor) and '' Liquidambar styraciflua'' L. (Central America) (Ha ...

Balsam of Peru Balsam of Peru or Peru balsam, also known and marketed by many other names, is a balsam derived from a tree known as ''Myroxylon balsamum'' var. ''pereirae''; it is found in El Salvador, where it is an endemic species. Balsam of Peru is used i ...

, and

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus '' Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakf ...

leaves. It forms a white crystalline solid when pure, or a yellow oil when even slightly impure. It can be produced by the

hydrolysis Hydrolysis (; ) is any chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used broadly for substitution, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water is the nucleophile. Biological hydrolysi ...

of storax. Cinnamyl alcohol has a distinctive odour described as "sweet, balsam, hyacinth, spicy, green, powdery, cinnamic" and is used in perfumery and as a deodorant. Cinnamyl alcohol is naturally occurrent only in small amount, so its industrial demand is usually fulfilled by chemical synthesis starting from

cinnamaldehyde Cinnamaldehyde is an organic compound with the formula(C9H8O) C6H5CH=CHCHO. Occurring naturally as predominantly the ''trans'' (''E'') isomer, it gives cinnamon its flavor and odor. It is a phenylpropanoid that is naturally synthesized by the shi ...

Properties

The compound is a solid at room temperature, forming colourless crystals that melt upon gentle heating. As is typical of most higher-molecular weight

alcohols In chemistry, an alcohol is a type of organic compound that carries at least one hydroxyl () functional group bound to a saturated carbon atom. The term ''alcohol'' originally referred to the primary alcohol ethanol (ethyl alcohol), which is ...

, it is sparingly soluble in water at room temperature, but highly soluble in most common organic solvents.

Safety

Cinnamyl alcohol has been found to have a sensitising effect on some peopleSurvey and health assessment of chemical substances in massage oils
and as a result is the subject of
Restricted Standard
issued b
IFRA
( International Fragrance Association).

Glycosides

Rosarin and rosavin are cinnamyl alcohol glycosides isolated from '' Rhodiola rosea''.

References

*''Merck Index'', 11th Edition, 2305. {{Authority control Flavors Primary alcohols Phenylpropanoids Perfume ingredients