Geraniol

January 03, 2018

GERANIOL: Drives Pests Away

Geraniol is a colorless liquid with a combined sweet and citrus odor naturally found in rose extracts. This main ingredient of rose oil makes it capable to protect itself from insects. Geraniol undergoes an extensive process of extraction and refinement, but only a small amount is employed in insect repellant formulations.

Geraniol belongs to a chemical subclass called terpineols. Terpineols are terpenes that contains a hydroxyl group, and is therefore an alcohol. Most plant oils contain terpenes, which is made up of five-carbon building blocks called isoprenes.

Terpenes are the compounds responsible for the unique scent of most plants. Geraniol is also abundant in some plants such as lemongrass.

How does Geraniol look like in Chemistry?

Let’s Get Building!

Using your Student Molecular Set from Duluth Labs let’s create Geraniol! You’ll need:

10 Carbon atoms
1 Oxygen atoms
18 Hydrogen atoms
18 Small connectors (compact small bonds for hydrogen)
8 Medium Connectors
4 Long connectors
Molecular Tool (for Disassembly)

Put aside all the atoms and connectors needed.

Let’s build our first isoprene unit starting off with Carbon 1!

Steps:

1

1. Get one carbon atom (Carbon 1)then, attach 2 hydrogen atom to it using 2 small connectors.
2

2. Attachan Oxygen atomto Carbon 1 using a medium connectors.Then, place a hydrogen atom to it using a small connector.
3

3. Grab another carbon atom (Carbon 2) and attach this to Carbon 1 using 1 medium connector. Add 2 hydrogen atoms on Carbon 2 using 2 small connectors.
4

4. Attach one carbon atom Carbon 2 using 2 long connectors.
5

5. Get another carbon atom (3-methyl carbon) and attach this to Carbon 3 using a medium connector. Add 3 hydrogens to 3-methyl carbon using 3 short connectors.
6

6. Then, get another carbon (Carbon 4) and attach this to Carbon 3 using a medium connector. Place 2 hydrogen atoms on this carbon using 2 small connectors.
7

7. Yay! We’re now done with the first isoprene unit.

Let’s now build the second isoprene unit, starting at Carbon 5.

Steps:

1

1. Get one carbon atom (Carbon 5)then, attach 2 hydrogen atom to it using 2 small connectors.
2

2. Grab another carbon atom (Carbon 6) and attach this to Carbon 5 using 1 medium connector.Add a 1 hydrogen atom on Carbon 2 using 1 small connector.
3

3. Attach one carbon atom (Carbon 7) to Carbon 6 using 2 long connectors.
4

4. Get another carbon atom (7-methyl carbon) and attach this to Carbon 7 using 2 medium connectors.Add 3 hydrogens to 7-methyl carbon using 3 short connectors
5

5. Then, get the last carbon atom(Carbon 8) and attach this toCarbon 7 using a medium connector. Place 3 hydrogen atoms on this carbon using 3 small connectors.
6

6. Using a medium connector, join (Carbon 4) 4 of the first isoprene unit to Carbon 5 of the second isoprene unit.