Citronellal or rhodinal (
C10 H18 O) is a mono
terpenoid 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 group ...
, the main component in the mixture of terpenoid
chemical compound
A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one ele ...
s that give
citronella oil its distinctive lemon scent.
Citronellal is a main
isolate in distilled oils from the plants ''
Cymbopogon'' (excepting C. citratus, culinary lemongrass),
lemon-scented gum
''Corymbia citriodora'', commonly known as lemon-scented gum and other common names, is a species of tall tree that is endemic to north-eastern Australia. It has smooth white to pink bark, narrow lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds ...
, and
lemon-scented teatree. The (''S'')-(−)-
enantiomer
In chemistry, an enantiomer ( /ɪˈnænti.əmər, ɛ-, -oʊ-/ ''ih-NAN-tee-ə-mər''; from Ancient Greek ἐνάντιος ''(enántios)'' 'opposite', and μέρος ''(méros)'' 'part') – also called optical isomer, antipode, or optical ant ...
of citronellal makes up to 80% of the oil from
kaffir lime leaves and is the compound responsible for its characteristic aroma.
Citronellal has insect repellent properties, and research shows high repellent effectiveness against mosquitoes. Another research shows that citronellal has strong antifungal qualities.
Compendial status
*
British Pharmacopoeia
The ''British Pharmacopoeia'' (''BP'') is the national pharmacopoeia of the United Kingdom. It is an annually published collection of quality standards for medicinal substances in the UK, which is used by individuals and organisations invo ...
See also
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Citral
*
Citronellol
*
Citronella oil
*
Hydroxycitronellal
*
Perfume allergy
References
{{reflist
Flavors
Alkenals
Monoterpenes