Terpene

Terpenes are a class of <a href="/facts/Natural_product/J4RsVhmP">natural products</a> consisting of compounds with the formula (C5H8)n for n ≥ 2. Terpenes are major biosynthetic building blocks. Comprising more than 30,000 compounds, these unsaturated <a href="/facts/Hydrocarbons/Dcg95Ju5">hydrocarbons</a> are produced predominantly by <a href="/facts/Plant/X5BMDMvS">plants</a>, particularly <a href="/facts/Pinophyta/vDUgqxCx">conifers</a>. In plants, terpenes and terpenoids are important mediators of ecological <a href="/facts/Biological_interaction/uhcg3EaM">interactions</a>, while some insects use some terpenes as a form of defense. Other functions of terpenoids include cell growth modulation and plant elongation, light harvesting and photoprotection, and membrane permeability and fluidity control.
Terpenes are classified by the number of carbons: <a href="/facts/Monoterpenes/6kFBtsXM">monoterpenes</a> (C10), <a href="/facts/Sesquiterpenes/rFJG50mL">sesquiterpenes</a> (C15), <a href="/facts/Diterpenes/sPocqDp2">diterpenes</a> (C20), as examples. The terpene <a href="/facts/Alpha-pinene/l9Epte63">alpha-pinene</a> is a major component of the common <a href="/facts/Solvent/LoMPMz8S">solvent</a>, <a href="/facts/Turpentine/ME2Lgu0K">turpentine</a>.
The one terpene that has major applications is <a href="/facts/Natural_rubber/CbsjJxhY">natural rubber</a> (i.e., <a href="/facts/Polyisoprene/XDNArVtr">polyisoprene</a>). The possibility that other terpenes could be used as precursors to produce synthetic <a href="/facts/Polymer/eF32E50K">polymers</a> has been investigated. Many terpenes have been shown to have pharmacological effects. Terpenes are also components of some traditional medicines, such as <a href="/facts/Aromatherapy/Lkaex3Br">aromatherapy</a>, and as active ingredients of <a href="/facts/Pesticide/Uhf4KnwJ">pesticides</a> in agriculture.

Terpene open-in-new

Terpene