Phenylacetaldehyde 

Phenylacetaldehyde
IUPAC name 2-Phenylacetaldehyde
Other names Hyacinthin
Phenylethanal
Identifiers
CAS number 122-78-1
PubChem 998
SMILES
 
Properties
Molecular formula C8H8O
Molar mass 120.15 g/mol
Melting point

-10 °C, 263 K, 14 °F
Boiling point

193 °C, 466 K, 379 °F
Hazards
R-phrases R22 R36 R37 R38
S-phrases S26 S36
Flash point 87 °C
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for
materials in their standard state
(at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Phenylacetaldehyde is an aromatic compound found in buckwheat1, chocolate2 and many other foods and flowers. It is also responsible for the antibiotic activity of maggot therapy3 and it is also a compound that is added to cigarettes to improve their aroma.

Many insects (Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera and Neuroptera) use this substance for communication.4

The aroma of pure substance was described as: honey-like, sweet, rose, green, grassy.

References

  1. ^ Janes D, Kantar D, Kreft S, Prosen H (2008). "Identification of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) aroma compounds with GC-MS". Food Chemistry. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.05.048. 
  2. ^ Schnermann, P., and Schieberle, P. 1997. Evaluation of key odorants in milk chocolate and cocoa cass by aroma extract dilution analyses. J. Agric. Food Chem. 45:867-872.
  3. ^ Pavillard, E. R., Wright, E. A. An antibiotic from maggots. Nature 1957; 180: 916-917.74
  4. ^ Semiochemical - 2-phenylacetaldehyde at Pherobase.com