Compounds · Ketones · Fatty acid derivatives
3-Octanone
Mushroom, slightly fatty, with a faint earthy note. At low concentration it smells like a forest after rain; higher up it smells like a fridge that needs cleaning.
- CAS
- 106-68-3
- Formula
- C8H16O
- Molar mass
- 128.21
- Odour threshold
- —
- Boiling point
- ≈ 167 °C at atmospheric pressure
Volatility
150 °C290 °C
Where it comes from
Biosynthetic pathway: Fatty acid derivatives — enzymes cut fat chains into fragments you can smell.
Why it sits where it does
An eight-carbon ketone, light and not very polar, so it evaporates fairly early. It usually appears in the first half of an analysis at a small share.
Where else you meet it
Mushrooms, blue cheese, and some honeys. At high concentration it is a sign the raw material has started to deteriorate.