Cadalene

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Cadalene
Cadalene

Cadalene (4-isopropyl-1,6-dimethylnaphthalene) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon with a chemical formula C15H18 and a cadinane skeleton. It is derived from generic sesquiterpenes, and ubiquitous in essential oils of many higher plants. [1]


Its CAS number is [483-78-3] and its SMILES structure is Cc2ccc(C(C)C)c1cc(C)ccc12.

Cadalene, together with retene, simonellite and ip-iHMN, is a biomarker of higher plants, which makes it useful for paleobotanic analysis of rock sediments.

Ratio of retene/cadalene in sediments can reveal the ratio of the genus Pinaceae in the biosphere. [2]