Cembrene A, or sometimes neocembrene, is a natural monocyclic
diterpene
Diterpenes are a class of chemical compounds composed of four isoprene units, often with the molecular formula C20H32. They are biosynthesized by plants, animals and fungi via the HMG-CoA reductase pathway, with geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate being ...
isolated from corals of the genus ''
Nephthea''. It is a colorless oil with a faint wax-like odor.
Cembrene A itself has little importance as a chemical entity, being a trail
pheromone
A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavio ...
for termites;
however, the chemical structure of cembrene is central to a very wide variety of other natural products found both in plants and in animals.
[''Terpenes: Flavors, Fragrances, Pharmaca, Pheromones'', Eberhard Breitmaier, page 7. ]
Cembrenes are biosynthesized by
macrocyclization of
geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate.
References
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Diterpenes
Alkene derivatives
Insect ecology
Insect pheromones
Cycloalkenes