Compounds · Monoterpenes · Terpenoid pathway
(E)-β-Ocimene
Sweet, floral, slightly herbal. Light and much faster to evaporate than the ring terpenes.
- CAS
- 3779-61-1
- Formula
- C10H16
- Molar mass
- 136.23
- Odour threshold
- —
- Boiling point
- ≈ 177 °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
An open-chain monoterpene with no ring at all, so the molecule is mobile and evaporates quickly. This trans isomer is slightly more stable than the cis isomer.
Where else you meet it
Jasmine, lavender, basil, and a great many white flowers. Plants release it in a surge when insects eat their leaves — a distress signal.