Description
Myrcene has a pleasant odor. Prepared from linalool.
Description
β-Myrcene is a terpene that has been found in
Cannabis and has antioxidative properties. It reduces thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) and increases glutathione (GSH), catalase, GSH peroxidase, and CuZn superoxide dismutase levels in a rat model of persistent environmental pollutant-induced oxidative stress when administered at a dose of 200 mg/kg per day.
Chemical Properties
Myrcene has a pleasant, sweet, balsamic, plastic odor.
Chemical Properties
colourless viscous liquid
Occurrence
Reported found in Mircia acris D.C.; in the distillates from leaves of Rhus cotinus and Barosma venustum (52
and 43%, respectively); in lemongrass, cypress, artemisia; in the fruits of Phellodendron amurense (92%) and Phellodendron japonicum; in the oils of Picea balsamea, Tsuga canadenis, Abies balsamea, clary sage and others. Also reported in over 200 foods and
beverages including citrus peel oils and juices, apricot, sweet and sour cherry, berries, guava, pineapple, carrot, celery, potato, bell
pepper, black currants, anise, anise seed, cardamom, cinnamon, cassia, clove, capsicum varities, ginger, mentha oils, mace, parsley,
thyme, cheeses, cream, pork, hop oil, beer, white wine, rum, cocoa, coffee, tea, mango, tamarind, coriander, gin, sweet bay, prickly
pear, calamus, dill, lovage, caraway, buckwheat, corn, basil, fennel, kiwifruit, rosemary, myrtle berry, turmeric, lemon balm, sage,
pimento, angelica oil, Roman and German chamomile oil, eucalyptus and mastic gum oil
Uses
Found in oil of bay, verbena, hop, etc. Used as an intermediate in the manufacturing of perfume chemicals.
Uses
Myrcene is the suitable synthetic standard used in the identification of
E-myrcenol (2-methyl-6-methylene-
E-2,7-octadien-1-01) as a major hindgut constituent in Eurasian bark beetle
Ips duplicatus by GC-MS.
Definition
ChEBI: A monoterpene that is octa-1,6-diene bearing methylene and methyl substituents at positions 3 and 7 respectively.
Preparation
From linalool
Aroma threshold values
Aroma characteristics at 10%: terpy, herbaceous, woody with a rosy celery and carrot nuance
Taste threshold values
Taste characteristics at 5 to 100 ppm: woody, vegetative, citrus fruity with a tropical mango and slight, leafy,
minty nuance
General Description
A yellow oily liquid with a pleasant odor. Flash point below 200°F. Insoluble in water and less dense than water.
Air & Water Reactions
Insoluble in water.
Reactivity Profile
The unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons, such as MYRCENE, are generally much more reactive than the alkanes. Strong oxidizers may react vigorously with them. Reducing agents can react exothermically to release gaseous hydrogen. In the presence of various catalysts (such as acids) or initiators, compounds in this class can undergo very exothermic addition polymerization reactions. Many of these compounds undergo autoxidation upon exposure to the air to form explosive peroxides. Violent explosions have occurred at low temperatures in ammonia synthesis gas units. These explosions have been traced to the addition products of dienes and oxides of nitrogen, produced from the interaction of nitrogen oxide and oxygen [Bretherick, 1995].
Health Hazard
May be harmful by inhalation, ingestion or skin absorption.
Fire Hazard
Special Hazards of Combustion Products: Vapor may travel considerable distance to a source of ignition and flashback.
Biochem/physiol Actions
Odor at 1%
Safety Profile
Low toxicity by
ingestion and skin contact. Experimental
reproductive effects. A moderate skin and
eye irritant. A flammable liquid. When
heated to decomposition it emits acrid
smoke and irritating fumes.
Synthesis
Myrcene occurs naturally in many organisms, but its extraction is uneconomic; it is produced industrially by pyrolysis of b-pinene. The fragmentation of linalool and linalyl acetate and the catalytic dimerization of isoprene have been described as laboratory synthesis methods of myrcene.
