Sabinene is a natural bicyclic

monoterpene Monoterpenes are a class of terpenes that consist of two isoprene units and have the molecular formula C10H16. Monoterpenes may be linear (acyclic) or contain rings (monocyclic and bicyclic). Modified terpenes, such as those containing oxygen func ...

with the molecular formula C₁₀H₁₆. It is isolated from the

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the ...

s of a variety of plants including Marjoram, holm oak (''Quercus ilex'') and

Norway spruce ''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, 9–17 cm long. It is very clo ...

(''Picea abies''). It has a strained ring system with a

cyclopentane Cyclopentane (also called C pentane) is a highly flammable alicyclic compound, alicyclic hydrocarbon with chemical formula C5H10, C5H10 and CAS number 287-92-3, consisting of a ring of five carbon atoms each bonded with two hydrogen atoms above and ...

ring fused to a

cyclopropane Cyclopropane is the cycloalkane with the molecular formula (CH2)3, consisting of three methylene groups (CH2) linked to each other to form a triangular ring. The small size of the ring creates substantial ring strain in the structure. Cyclopropane ...

ring. Sabinene is one of the chemical compounds that contributes to the spiciness of

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diameter ...

and is a major constituent of carrot seed oil. It also occurs in tea tree oil at a low concentration. It is also present in the essential oil obtained from nutmeg, '' Laurus nobilis'', and '' Clausena anisata''.

Biosynthesis

Sabinene, a bicyclic monoterpene, is present in the (+) and (-)

enantiomer In chemistry, an enantiomer (Help:IPA/English, /ɪˈnænti.əmər, ɛ-, -oʊ-/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''ih-NAN-tee-ə-mər''), also known as an optical isomer, antipode, or optical antipode, is one of a pair of molecular entities whi ...

s. It is biosynthesized from the common terpenoid precursor, geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP) that undergoes polycyclization catalyzed by sabinene synthase (SabS). GPP is formed from the terpenoid synthesis pathway with the starter units, isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP). The starter units, IPP and DMAPP, can be synthesized from either the mevalonate (MVA) or the methylerythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway. With the head-to-tail condensation of IPP and DMAPP catalyzed by GPP synthase, GPP is formed. Sabinene synthase (SabS) then catalyzes the ionization and isomerization of GPP to form 3R-linalyl pyrophosphate. Further ionization and cyclization results in the formation of sabinene. Sabinene BIosynthesis

References

Hydrocarbons Alkene derivatives Monoterpenes Cyclopropanes Cyclopentanes Isopropyl compounds {{hydrocarbon-stub

Biosynthesis

See also

References