General Description
Colorless liquid with odor of anise. Insoluble in water. Isolated from rind of persea gratissima grath. and from oil of estragon. Found in oils of Russian anise, basil, fennel turpentine, tarragon oil, anise bark oil.
Reactivity Profile
ESTRAGOLE(140-67-0) may react vigorously with strong oxidizing agents. Can react exothermically with reducing agents (such as alkali metals and hydrides) to release gaseous hydrogen. May react exothermically with both acids and bases.
Air & Water Reactions
Forms azeotropic mixtures with water. . Insoluble in water.
Health Hazard
ACUTE/CHRONIC HAZARDS: This compound is an irritant.
Fire Hazard
This compound is combustible.
Chemical Properties
Basil oil, methyl chavicol (estragole)-type (Réunion type, exotic type) is
obtained by steam distillation of the flowering tops or whole plants of
Ocimum basilicum L. (Lamiaceae), which was formerly grown in Réunion
and Madagascar. Today, the oil is produced in India and Vietnam on
relatively large scale (～100 and 30 t/yr, respectively) and also in Egypt, but
in small quantities. It is a light yellow liquid with a fresh, green, spicy odor
characteristic of methyl chavicol (estragole).
d2020 0.948–0.970; n20D 1.5100–1.5200; α20D ?1°to +2°; solubility: 1 vol in ≤7
vol 80% ethanol; content by GC: methyl chavicol 75–87%; linalool 0.5–3%(data for the classical “exotic” type; Indian types may contain up to
～20% linalool).
Chemical Properties
colourless liquid with an aniseed smell
Chemical Properties
Estragole has an odor reminiscent of anise with a corresponding sweet taste (differing from anethole)
Chemical Properties
Herbaceous plant native to eastern and central Europe; it prefers shady growing sites. It grows 30 to 80 cm (12 to 31 in.) tall, with roots clustered in bundles, a branched stalk, alternate leaves and yellow flowers. Leaves are fragrant and anise-flavored. The plant flowers from July to August. The parts used are the flowering tops and leaves. Tarragon has a sweet, spicy odor and a sweet, anisic, fresh, green flavor reminiscent of basil and anise. This herb is commonly used to flavor vinegar and to season meats, soups, vegetable and fish dishes.
Occurrence
Reported found in anise oil.
Uses
In perfumes and as flavor in foods and liqueurs.
Uses
insect atttractant, skin irritant, carcinogen
Definition
ChEBI: Estragole is an olefinic compound.
Preparation
Obtained by fractional distillation of the oil of turpentine or by treating a solution of the same oil in ether with an aqueous
solution of mercuric acetate and subsequently heating the aqueous phase with zinc and sodium hydroxide; forms allyl bromide and
magnesium p-methoxy phenate in ether.
Composition
The herb is reported to contain polyacetylenic compounds (capillene; phenyl-1,3-pentadiyne; acetylenic alcohol and its glucoside; capillone and dehydrofalcarinone); coumarinic and isocoumarinic derivatives (artemidinol, artemidiol, scopoletine, herciarine); alcohols (9-hydroxygeraniol; 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol); aldehyde (CoE, 2000).
Taste threshold values
Taste characteristics at 10 ppm: sweet, licorice, phenolic, weedy, spice, celery-like
Synthesis Reference(s)
The Journal of Organic Chemistry, 61, p. 1748, 1996
DOI: 10.1021/jo9518314Synthesis, p. 701, 1983
