Compounds · Aldehydes · Fatty acid derivatives
Dodecanal
Also known as Aldehyde C-12 · Lauraldehyde — an analysis may use any of these names
Fatty, waxy, slightly soapy. Heavier than decanal and less fresh.
- CAS
- 112-54-9
- Formula
- C12H24O
- Molar mass
- 184.32
- Odour threshold
- 2 ppbin water
- Boiling point
- ≈ 238 °C at atmospheric pressure
For this compound the two axes sit close together. Volatility tells you whether it leaves a surface early or late; the threshold tells you how much of it the nose needs before it notices.
Where it comes from
Biosynthetic pathway: Fatty acid derivatives — enzymes cut fat chains into fragments you can smell.
About the threshold figure
Low. In the same group as decanal; its longer chain makes it last longer on the skin.
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
Two carbons longer than decanal, so it is heavier and boils thirty degrees higher. The same direction of smell, but slower and less fresh.
Where else you meet it
Vietnamese coriander, old citrus peel, and aldehydic perfumes.