Cinnamaldehyde

Cinnamic aldehyde or cinnamaldehyde (more precisely trans-cinnamaldehyde, the only naturally-occurring form) is the cinnamon its flavor and odor.^[1]

Cinnamaldehyde occurs naturally in the bark of cinnamon trees and other species of the genus Cinnamomum like cassia. These trees are the natural source of cinnamon, and the essential oil of cinnamon bark is about 90% cinnamaldehyde.

Structure and physical properties

A yellow oily liquid more cinnamon.

Concentrated cinnamaldehyde is a skin irritant, and the chemical is toxic in large doses, but no agencies suspect the compound is a oxidized form of cinnamaldehyde.

Both double bond.

A technique to synthesize cinnamaldehyde was published in 1884. Several methods of synthesis are now known, but cinnamaldehyde is most economically obtained from the acetaldehyde.

Applications

The most obvious application for cinnamaldehyde is as a flavoring. 50 ppm (that is, less than 0.5%).

Cinnamaldehyde is used in some perfumes of natural, sweet, or fruity scents. Almond, apricot, butterscotch, and other aromas may partially employ the compound for their pleasant smells.

Cinnamaldehyde is also used as a fungicide.^[2] Proven effective on over 40 different crops, cinnamaldehyde is typically applied to the root systems of plants. Its low toxicity and well-known properties make it ideal for agriculture. To a lesser extent, cinnamaldehyde is an effective insecticide, and its scent is also known to repel animals like cats and dogs.^[2]

Cinnamaldehyde is also known as a surfactants.

Cinnamaldehyde can be used as a food adulterant; powdered beechnut husk aromatized with cinnamaldehyde can be marketed as powdered cinnamon.

Being widely available, it could be used to manufacture amphetamine cheaply, through reduction, oxidation and amination.

References