Nonacosane is a straight-chain

hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and Hydrophobe, hydrophobic; their odor is usually fain ...

with a molecular formula of C₂₉H₆₀, and the

structural formula The structural formula of a chemical compound is a graphic representation of the molecular structure (determined by structural chemistry methods), showing how the atoms are connected to one another. The chemical bonding within the molecule is al ...

CH₃(CH₂)₂₇CH₃. It has 1,590,507,121

constitutional isomer In chemistry, a structural isomer (or constitutional isomer in the IUPAC nomenclature) of a compound is a compound that contains the same number and type of atoms, but with a different connectivity (i.e. arrangement of bonds) between them. The ...

s. Nonacosane occurs naturally and has been reported to be a component of a

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 ...

of '' Orgyia leucostigma'', and evidence suggests it plays a role in the chemical communication of several insects, including the female ''

Anopheles stephensi ''Anopheles stephensi'' is a primary mosquito vector of malaria in urban India and is included in the same subgenus as ''Anopheles gambiae'', the primary malaria vector in Africa. ''A. gambiae'' consists of a complex of morphologically identical ...

'' (a

mosquito Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...

). Nonacosane has been identified within several essential oils. It can also be prepared synthetically.

References

{{Alkanes Alkanes Insect pheromones