Nonacosane is a straight-chain
hydrocarbon
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ex ...
with a molecular formula of C
29H
60, and the
structural formula
The structural formula of a chemical compound is a graphic representation of the molecular structure (determined by structural chemistry methods), showing how the atoms are possibly arranged in the real three-dimensional space. The chemical bondi ...
CH
3(CH
2)
27CH
3. It has 1,590,507,121
constitutional isomer
In chemistry, a structural isomer (or constitutional isomer in the IUPAC nomenclature) of a chemical compound, compound is another compound whose molecule has the same number of atoms of each element, but with logically distinct chemical bond, b ...
s.
Nonacosane occurs naturally and has been reported to be a component of a
pheromone of ''
Orgyia leucostigma'', and evidence suggests it plays a role in the chemical communication of several insects, including the female ''
Anopheles stephensi'' (a
mosquito).
Nonacosane has been identified within several essential oils. It can also be prepared synthetically.
References
{{Alkanes
Alkanes
Insect pheromones