Water Fruit

Calone is a white solid and a derivative of 4-methylcatechol. Its preferred IUPAC name is 7-methyl-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,5-benzodioxepin-3-one.

Chemistry

Calone has the formula C₁₀H₁₀O₃ and a molar mass of 178.187 g/mol. It forms white crystals, flakes or clumps that melt between 35 and 41 °C. Its structure is similar to that of brown algae pheromones such as ectocarpene and distantly related to that of the drug diazepam. It is a doubly unsaturated derivative of nonanal, an α,β-unsaturated aldehyde with an isolated alkene group, and its molar mass is 138.210 g/mol. cis-3-Hexen-1-ol, also known as leaf alcohol, is a colorless oily liquid with the formula C₆H₁₂O. It boils at 156.5 °C, is very slightly soluble in water and dissolves in ethanol and ether. The related aldehyde cis-3-hexenal, or leaf aldehyde, has a similar and even stronger smell but is relatively unstable.

Occurrence

trans,cis-2,6-Nonadienal is a component of the distinctive aroma of cucumbers. It is also found in bread crust and freshly cut watermelon. Nonadienal is formed from α-linolenic acid. Such reactions are typically catalyzed by hydroperoxide lyases. cis-3-Hexen-1-ol is produced in small amounts by most plants. It acts as an attractant to many predatory insects. The global production volume of cis-3-hexen-1-ol is about 3000 tonnes.