Heneicosane is the organic compound with the formula CH₃(CH₂)₁₉CH₃. It is the straight chain, saturated C21 hydrocarbon. It is a white wax.

Natural occurrence

Heneicosane is used as a pheromone by the queen or king termites in the species ''

Reticulitermes flavipes ''Reticulitermes flavipes'', the eastern subterranean termite, is the most common termite found in North America. These termites are the most economically important wood destroying insects in the United States and are classified as pests. They fe ...

''. It also attracts mosquitoes in the genus ''

Aedes ''Aedes'' is a genus of mosquitoes originally found in tropical and subtropical zones, but now found on all continents except perhaps Antarctica. Some species have been spread by human activity: ''Aedes albopictus'', a particularly invasive spe ...

'' and can be used in mosquito baits. This works in nature as the hydrocarbon is produced in the skin of the larva. A 1:100000 fraction in water is the most attractive, but if the concentration is 1:1000 then mosquitoes are repelled instead. Heneicosane is one of the major components of the safflower flower essential oil ('' Carthamus tinctorius''). All parts of the plant ''

Periploca laevigata ''Periploca laevigata'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae, native to the Canary Islands,Manuel Arechavaleta, S. Rodríguez, Nieves Zurita, A. García (Hrsg.): Lista de especies silvestres de Canarias. Hongos, plantas y a ...

'' contain heneicosane. ''

Rosa damascena Rosa or De Rosa may refer to: People *Rosa (given name) * Rosa (surname) * Santa Rosa (female given name from Latin-a latinized variant of Rose) Places * 223 Rosa, an asteroid * Rosa, Alabama, a town, United States * Rosa, Germany, in Thuringia ...

'' flower essential oil contains 5% heneicosane. ''Sambucus nigra'' contains 2.3%.

References

Alkanes {{organic-compound-stub