Name: citral
Nickname: 3, 7-dimethyl-2, 6-octadiene; Natural citral
Boiling point: 229 ℃
Density: 0.889
Appearance: colorless liquid
Application: used as flavoring agent to prepare lemon essence, also used as raw material for synthesis of violet ketone and vitamin A
Details:
Citral a (also known as geranial and trans citral) is a colorless oily liquid with lemon aroma. Boiling point 229 ℃, the density of 0.8888 g/cm (20 ℃); It is easy to oxidize and turn yellow in air. Citral a was oxidized with ammonium silver oxide to obtain folic acid.
Citral b (also known as neral and cis-citral) is a colorless or light yellow liquid; Boiling point 120 ℃, the density of 0.8869 g/cm (20 ℃). Both isomers are soluble in ethanol and ether.
Usually, citral is a mixture of the above two, a light yellow limon-scented, oil-like volatile liquid, insoluble in water, soluble in ethanol, ether, propylene glycol, glycerin, mineral oil and other organic solvents. Relative density 0.891 (25/25 ℃), the boiling point of 228-229 ℃. It exists in the essential oil of citrus oil, lemon oil, lemongrass oil, bergamot oil, verbena oil and so on
Citral can be separated from essential oils; It can also be obtained by decompression gas dehydrogenation with copper catalyst from industrial geraniol (and nerol). It can also be synthesized from dehydrocinnamol under the action of vanadium catalyst. Citral can be used in the production of citrus flavoured food spices, which change color due to easy oxidation and polymerization. It is also used to synthesize iol, citronellal hydroxyl and violet ketone, which is the raw material for the synthesis of vitamin A. Citral is a terpenoid compound.