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Pinene

Oily organic chemical found in plants From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pinene
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Pinene is a collection of unsaturated bicyclic monoterpenes. Two geometric isomers of pinene are found in nature, α-pinene and β-pinene. Both are chiral. As the name suggests, pinenes are found in pines. Specifically, pinene is the major component of the liquid extracts of conifers.[3] Pinenes are also found in many non-coniferous plants such as camphorweed (Heterotheca)[4] and big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata).

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Isomers

skeletal formulaThumbThumbThumbThumb
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ball-and-stick modelThumbThumbXThumb
name(1R)-(+)-α-pinene(1S)-(−)-α-pinene(1R)-(+)-β-pinene(1S)-(−)-β-pinene
CAS number7785-70-87785-26-419902-08-018172-67-3

Biosynthesis

α-Pinene and β-pinene are both produced from geranyl pyrophosphate, via cyclisation of linaloyl pyrophosphate followed by loss of a proton from the carbocation equivalent. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Joint BioEnergy Institute have been able to synthetically produce pinene with a bacterium.[5]

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Biosynthesis of pinene from geranyl pyrophosphate

Plants

Alpha-pinene is the most widely encountered terpenoid in nature[6] and is highly repellent to insects.[7]

Alpha-pinene appears in conifers and numerous other plants.[8] Pinene is a major component of the essential oils of Sideritis spp. (ironwort)[9] and Salvia spp. (sage).[10] Cannabis also contains alpha-pinene[8] and beta-pinene.[11] Resin from Pistacia terebinthus (commonly known as terebinth or turpentine tree) is rich in pinene. Pine nuts produced by pine trees contain pinene.[8]

Makrut lime fruit peel contains an essential oil comparable to lime fruit peel oil; its main components are limonene and β-pinene.[12]

The racemic mixture of the two forms of pinene is found in some oils like eucalyptus oil.[13]

Reactions

α-Pinene

Selective oxidation of α-pinene occurs at the allylic position to give verbenone, along with pinene oxide, as well as verbenol and its hydroperoxide.[14][15]

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Pinene left verbenone right

α-Pinene can be converted to camphor by way of isobornyl acetate. Hydrogenation of pinene gives pinane, precursor to a useful pinanehydroperoxide. The hydroboration of α-pinene has been extensively examined. With borane-dimethylsulfide, two equivalents of α-pinene react to give (diisopinocampheyl)borane.[16] Reaction with 9-BBN gives the reagent called alpine borane. This sterically crowded chiral trialkylborane can stereoselectively reduce aldehydes in what is known as the Midland Alpine borane reduction.[17]

β-Pinene

β-Pinene can be converted to α-pinene in the presence of strong bases,[18] or pyrolysed to produce myrcene at 400 °C.

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Use

Pinenes, especially α, are the primary constituents of turpentine, a nature-derived solvent and fuel.[3]

The use of pinene as a biofuel in spark ignition engines has been explored.[19] Pinene dimers have been shown to have heating values comparable to the jet fuel JP-10.[5]

References

Bibliography

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