Linalyl Acetate (Synonym Bergamot.)-Lavender, True or Common Lavender, Clary, Cleareye, Muscatel Sage

B. Linalyl Acetate

Synonym Bergamot.

Chemical Structure 3, 7-Dimethyl-1, 6-octadien-3-yl acetate; (C₁₂H₂₀O₂). It is also an olefinic terpene acetate and regarded as the most valuable constituent of bergamot and lavender oils.

Occurrence It is found in a number of volatile oils, namely: Lavandula angustifolia Mill.

(Lamiaceae)-Lavender, True or Common Lavender; Salvia selarea L. (Lamiaceae)-Clary, Cleareye, Muscatel Sage; Satureja montana L. (Lamiaceae)-Winter Savory, White Thyme, Spanish Savory; Thymus vulgaris L. (Lamiaceae)-Common Thyme; Tilia europaea L. (Tiliaceae)-Linden Tree (America), Lime Tree (Europe).

Isolation It may be obtained from lavender oil or bergamot oil by subjecting it to distillation under very high vacuum, because on distillation at atmospheric pressure or with steam distillation linalyl acetate gets hydrolysed rapidly and decomposed eventually.

Characteristic Features It is a colourless oily liquid having a very pleasant fruity odour of bergamot oil. Its physical properties are: d²⁰₄ 0.885; bp 220°C; n²⁰_D 1.4460. It is almost insoluble inwater but miscible freely with ether and alcohol.

Identification Linalyl acetate upon saponification with alcoholic KOH yields linalool (linalol) and acetic acid. The dl-form of linalool has a bp720 194-197°C.

Uses It is used extensively in perfumery.

Source:Pharmacognosy And Pharmacobiotechnology By Ashutosh Kar