5495. Linalool

Nomenclature

CAS number: 78-70-6
3,7-Dimethyl-1,6-octadien-3-ol; 2,6-dimethyl-2,7-octadien-6-ol; linalol.
C10H18O; mol wt 154.25.
C 77.87%, H 11.76%, O 10.37%.
(CH3)2C=CHCH2CH2C(CH3)(OH)CH=CH2.

Description and references

Chief constituent of linaloe oil; also occurs in oils of Ceylon cinnamon, sassafras, orange flower, bergamot, Artemisia balchanorum, ylang ylang, etc.: Tiemann, Ber. 31, 808 (1898); Walbaum, Stephan, ibid. 33, 2305 (1900); Hesse, Zeitschel, J. Prakt. Chem. 66, 493 (1902); Rafanova et al., SU 103725 (1956), C.A. 51, 3656c (1957); Naves, Helv. Chim. Acta 42, 1692 (1959). Presence in essential oils: idem, Compt. Rend. 251, 900 (1960). Absolute configuration: Prelog, Watanabe, Ann. 603, 1 (1957). Synthesis of dl-linalool: Ruzicka, Fornasir, Helv. Chim. Acta 2, 182 (1919); Surmatis, US 2848502 (1958 to Hoffmann-La Roche); Nair, Pandit, Tetrahedron Lett. 1966, 5097. Review: J. L. Simonsen, The Terpenes vol. I (University Press, Cambridge, 2nd ed., 1947), pp 57-68.

Derivative

l-Form.

Nomenclature

Licareol.

Properties

Colorless liq. bp760 198°; bp25 98-98.3°; bp14 86-87°. d20 0.8622. nD22 1.4604. [α]D20 20.1°. Practically insol in water. Miscible with alcohol, ether.

Derivative

d-Form.

Nomenclature

Coriandrol.

Properties

bp760 198-200°; bp26 114-114.5°; bp15.5 93-94°; bp12 86°. d420 0.8733. nD20 1.4673. [α]D20 +19.3°. Soluble in 10 vol 50% alc, 4 vol 60% alc.

Derivative

dl-Form.

Properties

bp720 194-197°; bp14 89-91°. d15 0.865.

Use

In perfumery instead of bergamot or French lavender oil since it has an odor similar to these oils.