Farnesol

Farnesol is present in many essential oils such as citronella, neroli, cyclamen, lemon grass, tuberose, rose, musk, balsam, and tolu. It is used in perfumery to emphasize the odors of sweet, floral perfumes. It enhances perfume scent by acting as a co-solvent that regulates the volatility of the odorants. It is especially used in lilac and peony perfumes. Its aroma is described as "fresh, sweet, linden flower, floral, angelica, dry". Farnesol and its ester derivatives are important precursors for a variety of other compounds used as fragrances and vitamins. Farnesol is subject to restrictions on its use in perfumery, because some people may become sensitised to it. ==Natural source and synthesis==

In nature The pyrophosphate ester of farnesol is the building blocks of possibly all acyclic sesquiterpenoids. These compounds are doubled to form 30-carbon squalene, which is the precursor for steroids in plants, animals, and fungi. Commercial production Obtaining farnesol from natural sources is uneconomical. In industry, farnesol is produced from linalool. :, which can be isomerized to farnesol. ==History of the name==

Farnesol was named (ca. 1900–1905) after the Farnese acacia tree (Vachellia farnesiana), since the flowers from the tree were the commercial source of the floral essence in which the chemical was identified. This particular acacia species, in turn, is named after Cardinal Odoardo Farnese (1573–1626) of the Italian Farnese family who (from 1550 though the 17th century) maintained some of the first private European botanical gardens in the Farnese Gardens in Rome. The addition of the -ol suffix implies an alcohol. The plant itself was brought to the Farnese gardens from the Caribbean and Central America, where it originates. ==See also==