Compounds · Sesquiterpenes · Terpenoid pathway
α-Cedrene
Clear cedarwood, dry, a little like pencil shavings. This is the compound that defines the smell of cedarwood.
- CAS
- 469-61-4
- Formula
- C15H24
- Molar mass
- 204.36
- Odour threshold
- —
- Boiling point
- ≈ 262 °C estimated
Where it comes from
Biosynthetic pathway: Terpenoid pathway — plants build them from identical five-carbon blocks.
Why it sits where it does
A rigid, non-polar three-ring skeleton, so it evaporates very slowly and clings to surfaces for a long time.
Where else you meet it
Cedarwood, and through it wooden pencils and cedar wardrobes. One of the few sesquiterpenes whose source ordinary people can recognise.
About the boiling-point figure
Boiling points of heavy molecules are often published at reduced pressure without the pressure being stated, because at atmospheric pressure many of them decompose before they boil. The value here is an estimate converted to atmospheric pressure, used to place the compound on the volatility axis, not a measurement. Why this detail matters