Four stereoisomers of verbenol are known. For the
cis isomer, the two
methyl groups (-CH3) are on the same side of the carbon ring as the
hydroxy group (-OH), and for the
trans isomer, they are on the opposite sides. Again, there are
enantiomers of each form that exhibit
optical activity, that is, turn the plane of linearly polarized light as it passes through the substance or its solution.
trans-Verbenol is a
mountain pine beetle pheromone that attracts insects to a tree.
cis-Verbenol is an aggregation pheromone of
Ips typographus and
Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins. ==Enantiomeric composition==