Compounds · Monoterpenes · Terpenoid pathway
α-Thujene
Thin wood, slightly pungent, with a dry herbal note. Very light and gone almost instantly.
- CAS
- 2867-05-2
- Formula
- C10H16
- Molar mass
- 136.23
- Odour threshold
- —
- Boiling point
- ≈ 152 °C at atmospheric pressure
Volatility
150 °C290 °C
Where it comes from
Biosynthetic pathway: Terpenoid pathway — plants build them from identical five-carbon blocks.
Why it sits where it does
One of the lightest monoterpenes in this library. Its three-membered ring makes the skeleton very strained and the molecule very mobile.
Where else you meet it
Black pepper, coriander, tea tree. Usually under one per cent, but it appears very consistently.