2-Pentenal has a pungent, green, apple, orange, tomato odor.
Reported found in aqueous orange essence (trans-form); as a flavor component in cognac oil, in Chrysocoris
stolli, in tomato aroma, in the autooxidation of cod liver oil, in peas, as a flavoring component of reverted soybean oil, in salmon oil,
in potato chips during storage, in butterfat fishy flavor. Also reported found in strawberry, cooked potato, wheat bread, parmesan
cheese, butter, caviar, fatty fish, cooked beef, tea, peanuts, peas, trassi, mango, raspberry, pumpkin, Bourbon vanilla, oysters and
loganberry.
By treating β-phenoxyacrolein with secondary amines, Grignard reagent and active methylene compounds; by heating
1-ethoxy-1,3-pentadiene with H3PO4 at 80°C; from cis- and trans-but-2-ene-1,4-diol and SOCl2, followed by treatment of the chloroalcohol
with methyl magnesium bromide and final oxidation with MnO2.