Pinene

Pinene (C10H16) is a bicyclic monoterpene chemical compound.[1] There are two structural isomers of pinene found in nature: -pinene and -pinene. As the name suggests, both forms are important constituents of pine resin; they are also found in the resins of many other conifers, as well as in nonconiferous plants such as big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata). Both isomers are used by many insects in their chemical

-Pinene is an organic compound of the terpene class, one of two isomers of pinene.[1] It is an alkene and it contains a reactive four-membered ring. It is found in the oils of many species of many coniferous trees, notably the pine. It is also found in the essential oil of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis).[2] Both enantiomers are known in nature; (1S,5S)- or ()--pinene is more common in European pines, whereas the (1R,5R)- or (+)--isomer is more common in North America. The racemic mixture is present in some oils such as eucalyptus oil and orange peel oil. structure

Isomers Biosynthesis
-Pinene and -pinene are both produced from geranyl pyrophosphate, via cyclisation of linaloyl pyrophosphate followed by loss of a proton from the carbocation equivalent.

Plants
Alpha-pinene is the most widely encountered terpenoid in nature[3] and is highly repellant to insects.[4]

Alpha-pinene appears in conifers and numerous other plants.[5] Pinene is a major component of the essential oils of Sideritis spp. (ironwort)[6] and Salvia spp. (sage).[7] Cannabis also contains alpha-pinene.[5] Resin from Pistacia terebinthus (commonly known as terebinth or turpentine tree) is rich in pinene. Pine nuts produced by pine trees contain pinene.[5]

Reactivity
The four-membered ring in -pinene 1 makes it a reactive hydrocarbon, prone to skeletal rearrangements such as the Wagner-Meerwein rearrangement. For example, attempts to perform hydration or hydrogen halide addition with the alkene functionality typically lead to rearranged products. With concentrated sulfuric acid and ethanol the major products are terpineol 2 and its ethyl ether 3, while glacial acetic acid gives the corresponding acetate ester 4. With dilute acids, terpin hydrate 5 becomes the major product. With one molar equivalent of anhydrous HCl, the simple addition product 6a can be formed at low temperature in the presence of ether, but it is very unstable. At normal temperatures, or if no ether is present, the major product is bornyl chloride 6b, along with a small amount of fenchyl chloride 6c.[3] For many years 6b (also called "artificial camphor") was referred to as "pinene hydrochloride", until it was confirmed as identical with bornyl chloride made from camphene. If more HCl is used, achiral 7 (dipentene hydrochloride) is the major product along with some 6b. Nitrosyl chloride followed by base leads to the oxime 8 which can be reduced to "pinylamine" 9. Both 8 and 9 are stable compounds containing an intact four-membered ring, and these compounds helped greatly in identifying this important component of the pinene skeleton.[4] A variety of reagents such as iodine or PCl3 cause aromatisation, leading to p-cymene 10. Under aerobic oxidation conditions, the main oxidation products are pinene oxide, verbenyl hydroperoxide, verbenol and verbenone.

Atmospheric role
Monoterpenes, of which -pinene is one of the principal species, are emitted in substantial amounts by vegetation, and these emissions are affected by temperature and light intensity. In the atmosphere alpha-pinene undergoes reactions with ozone, the OH radical or the NO3 radical,[6] leading to low-volatility species which partly condense on existing aerosols, thereby generating secondary organic aerosols. This has been shown in numerous laboratory experiments for the mono- and sesquiterpenes.[7][8] Products of -pinene which have been identified explicitly are pinonaldehyde, norpinonaldehyde, pinic acid, pinonic acid and pinalic acid.

Usage
At low exposure levels, -Pinene is a bronchodilator in humans, and is highly bioavailable with 60% human pulmonary uptake with rapid metabolism or redistribution.[9] Alpha-Pinene is an anti-inflammatory via PGE1,[9] and seems to be a broad-spectrum antibiotic.[10] It exhibits activity as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, aiding memory.[9] Alpha-Pinene forms the biosynthetic base for CB2 ligands, such as HU-308.[9]