Cymene

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Cymene
p-cymene
Chemical name 1-methyl-4-(1-methylethyl)benzene
Chemical formula C10H14
Molecular mass 134.21 g/mol
CAS number [99-87-6]
Density 0.857 g/cm3
Melting point -68 °C
Boiling point 177 °C
SMILES CC1=CC=C(C(C)C)C=C1
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Cymene, or p-cymene, is a naturally occurring aromatic organic compound. It is classified as a hydrocarbon related to a monoterpene. Its structure consists of a benzene ring para-substituted with a methyl group and an isopropyl group. It is insoluble in water, but miscible with ethanol and ether.

Cymene is a constituent of a number of essential oils, most commonly the oil of cumin and thyme.

There are two less common geometric isomers. o-Cymene, in which the alkyl groups are ortho-substituted, and m-cymene, in which they are meta-substituted. p-Cymene is the only natural isomer.

Cymene is common ligand for ruthenium. The parent compound is [(η6-cymene)MCl2]2. This half-sandwich compound is prepared by the reaction of ruthenium trichloride with the terpene α-phellandrene. The osmium complex is also known.[1]

[edit] Reference

  1. ^ Bennett, M. A.; Huang, T. N.; Matheson, T. W. and Smith, A. K., "(h6-Hexamethylbenzene)ruthenium complexes", Inorganic Syntheses, 1982, 21, 74-8.

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