Limonene is a clear, colourless liquid at room temperature with an extremely strong smell of Oranges. Limonene is a chiral molecule.
| Chemical name | 1-methyl-4-prop-1-en-2-yl-cyclohexene |
| Synonyms | 4-isopropenyl-1-methyl-cyclohexene |
| Chemical formula | C 10 H 16 |
| Density | 0.8411 g.cm3 |
| Refractive index | 1.4730 |
Limonene is a monoterpene, made up of two isoprene units which can be distilled without decomposition.
Limonene occurs in two optically active forms, namely l-limonene and d-limonen. Both isomers have different odours: l-limonene smells piney and turpentine like and d-limonene has a pleasing orange scent.
d-limonene (( )-limonene), which is known as (R)- enantiomer
CAS number 5989-27-5
l-limonene, which is known as (S)-enantiomer
CAS number 5989-54-8
Applications
Apart from use of flavour aid in food industry, Limonene is increasingly being used as an environmentally friendly alternative to mineral oils as a solvent for cleaning purposes, such as the removal of oil from machine parts, being more easily biodegradable than mineral oils and produced from a renewable source (citrus oil, as a byproduct of orange juice manufacture) Limonene, an antioxidant in lemon oil, has shown promise in the treatment of lung disease
