Steam distillation of essential oils – Carvone from caraway

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David L. Garin

J. Chem. Educ., 1976, 53 (2), p 105

DOI: 10.1021/ed053p105

Publication Date: February 1976

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed053p105

Carvone is a secondary metabolite.  That means it is a naturally-occurring compound that is not directly connected to the very basic functions of a cell, such as self-replication or the production of energy.  The role of secondary metabolites in nature is often difficult to determine.  However, these compounds often play roles in self-defense, acting as deterrents against competitor species in a sort of small-scale chemical warfare scenario.  They are also frequently used in communications; this role has been studied most extensively among insects, which use lots of compounds to send information to each other.

References:
1. Steam distillation of essential oils – Carvone from caraway. David L. Garin. J. Chem. Educ., 1976, 53 (2), p 105. DOI: 10.1021/ed053p105.
2. Cinnamaldehyde by Steam Distillation of Cinnamon. Douglass F. Taber and Andrew J. Weiss. J. Chem. Educ., 1998, 75 (5), p 633. DOI: 10.1021/ed075p633.
3. Qualitative Organic Analysis: An Efficient, Safer, and Economical Approach to Preliminary Tests and Functional Group Analysis. Sunita Dhingra and Chetna Angrish. J. Chem. Educ., 2011, 88 (5), p 649. DOI: 10.1021/ed1004454.
4. An Improved Preparation of 2,4-Dinitrophenylhydrazine Reagent. Ben Ruekberg and Eric Rossoni. J. Chem. Educ., 2005, 82 (9), p 1310. DOI: 10.1021/ed082p1310.2.