Citronellal
IUPAC name	3,7-dimethyloct-6-en-1-al
Identifiers
CAS number	106-23-0
EC number	203-376-6
SMILES	C/C(C)=C/CCC(C)CC=O
Properties
Molecular formula	C10H18O
Molar mass	154.25 g/mol
Density	0.855 g/cm3
Boiling point	201-207 °C
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Citronellal or rhodinal or 3,7-dimethyloct-6-en-1-al (C₁₀H₁₈O) is a monoterpenoid, the main component in the mixture of terpenoid chemical compounds that give citronella oil its distinctive lemon scent.

Citronellal is a major isolate in distilled oils from the plants Cymbopogon, lemon-scented gum, and lemon-scented teatree.

Citronellal has insect repellent properties, and research shows high repellent effectiveness against mosquitoes.^[1] Research shows that citronellal has strong antifungal qualities.^[2]

[edit] See also

• Hydroxycitronellal
• Citral
• Citronellol
• Geraniol
• Citronella oil

[edit] References

1. ^ Jeong-Kyu KIM, Chang-Soo KANG, Jong-Kwon LEE, Young-Ran KIM, Hye-Yun HAN, Hwa Kyung YUN, Evaluation of Repellency Effect of Two Natural Aroma Mosquito Repellent Compounds, Citronella and Citronellal, Entomological Research 35 (2), 117–120, 2005
2. ^ Kazuhiko NAKAHARA*, Najeeb S. ALZOREKY1 , Tadashi YOSHIHASHI, Huong T. T. NGUYEN2 and Gassinee TRAKOONTIVAKORN, Chemical Composition and Antifungal Activity of Essential Oil from Cymbopogon nardus (Citronella Grass), Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) (Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305–8686, Japan), JARQ - October 2003 - (Vol. 37 No. 4 )