Compounds · Alcohols · Fatty acid derivatives
cis-3-Hexenol
Also known as Leaf alcohol · Cồn lá — an analysis may use any of these names
Freshly cut grass, harshly green, cold and wet. The molecule of plant injury.
- CAS
- 928-96-1
- Formula
- C6H12O
- Molar mass
- 100.16
- Odour threshold
- 70 ppbin water
- Boiling point
- ≈ 156 °C at atmospheric pressure
The two axes are 63 points apart. Volatility tells you whether the compound leaves a surface early or late; the threshold tells you how much of it the nose needs before it notices. When the two sit this far apart, they explain things the percentages on an analysis cannot explain on their own.
Where it comes from
Biosynthetic pathway: Fatty acid derivatives — enzymes cut fat chains into fragments you can smell.
About the threshold figure
Moderate. This is the compound behind the green-leaf note, and its threshold explains why freshly cut grass is recognised at once.
Published thresholds differ by several orders of magnitude, because of differences in measuring method, sample purity and panel. The figure here is an order of magnitude for relative comparison, not a measurement. We give it only for compounds where the literature broadly agrees — 52 of the 106 compounds in the library. The rest are left blank rather than guessed.
Why it sits where it does
A six-carbon alcohol with one double bond. The molecule is very small, and even with a hydroxyl group its size decides — it evaporates almost instantly. It lies outside most of the essential-oil volatility band and is gone before other components have had time to open.
Where else you meet it
Freshly cut grass, crushed leaves, cucumber, freshly picked green tea.