| Hernandulcin | |
|---|---|
|
(6S)-6-[(2S)-2-Hydroxy-6-methylhept-5-en-2-yl]-3-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-one |
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| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | 95602-94-1 |
| PubChem | 125608 |
| Jmol-3D images | Image 1 |
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| Properties | |
| Molecular formula | C15H24O2 |
| Molar mass | 236.35 g/mol |
| (verify) (what is: /?) Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) |
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| Infobox references | |
Hernandulcin is an intensely sweet chemical compound gained from the chiefly Mexican and South American plant Lippia dulcis.[1]
In the 1570s, Spanish physician Francisco Hernández[2] described a remarkably sweet plant known to the Aztecs as Tzonpelic xihuitl, meaning "sweet herb". This reference, accompanied by an accurate description and illustration of the plant, led to a group of pharmacognocists in 1985 to a previously unrecognised, intensely sweet chemical that can provide sweetness without tooth decay. Cesar M. Compadre, and A. Douglas Kinghorn, from the University of Illinois at Chicago isolated and identified the sweet compound from the leaves and flowers of the Lippia dulcis plant, in Mexico. The researchers noted the chemical structure of the colourless oil, and named it hernandulcin after Francisco Hernandez. By slightly modifying the compound, they identified the three parts of the chemical structure which caused the intensely sweet taste - the carbonyl group, and the hydroxyl group, and the hydrophobic side chain
Hernandulcin is a sesquiterpene with the molecular formula C15H24O2. By slightly modifying the compound, researchers have identified the three parts of the chemical structure that produced the intense the sweet taste - the carbonyl group, and the hydroxyl group, and the hydrophobic side chain. Hernandulcin was the first sesquiterpene found to be sweet, and after a panel of volunteers tasted hernandulcin, it was determined that it was more than 1,000 times sweeter than sugar. Hernandulcin also has a minty aftertaste, and does not cause tooth decay, which would make it a good candidate for oral hygiene products.