1-Octen-3-ol, octenol for short (also known as mushroom alcohol), is a chemical that attracts biting insects such as mosquito

Mosquito

Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...

s. It is contained in human breath and sweat, and it was once believed that insect repellent

Insect repellent

An insect repellent is a substance applied to skin, clothing, or other surfaces which discourages insects from landing or climbing on that surface. There are also insect repellent products available based on sound production, particularly ultrasound...

 DEET

DEET

N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide, abbreviated DEET, is a slightly yellow oil. It is the most common active ingredient in insect repellents...

 works by blocking the insects' octenol odorant receptor

Receptor (biochemistry)

In biochemistry, a receptor is a molecule found on the surface of a cell, which receives specific chemical signals from neighbouring cells or the wider environment within an organism...

s.
Octenol is used in combination with carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...

 to attract insects in order to kill them with certain electronic devices.

1-Octen-3-ol is a secondary alcohol

Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....

 derived from 1-octene

1-Octene

1-Octene is an organic compound with a formula CH2CHC6H13. The alkene is classified as a higher olefin and alpha-olefin, meaning that the double bond is located at the alpha position, endowing this compound with higher reactivity and thus useful chemical properties. 1-Octene is one of the...

. It exists in the form of two enantiomer

Enantiomer

In chemistry, an enantiomer is one of two stereoisomers that are mirror images of each other that are non-superposable , much as one's left and right hands are the same except for opposite orientation. It can be clearly understood if you try to place your hands one over the other without...

s, (R)-(-)-1-octen-3-ol and (S)-(+)-1-octen-3-ol. Octenol is formed during oxidative breakdown of linoleic acid

Linoleic acid

Linoleic acid is an unsaturated n-6 fatty acid. It is a colorless liquid at room temperature. In physiological literature, it has a lipid number of 18:2...

.

Octenol is produced by several plants and fungi, including edible mushroom

Edible mushroom

Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruiting bodies of several species of fungi. Mushrooms belong to the macrofungi, because their fruiting structures are large enough to be seen with the naked eye. They can appear either below ground or above ground where they may be picked by hand...

s. Its odor

Odor

An odor or odour is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds, generally at a very low concentration, that humans or other animals perceive by the sense of olfaction. Odors are also commonly called scents, which can refer to both pleasant and unpleasant odors...

 has been described as green and moldy or meaty; it is used in certain perfume

Perfume

Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...

s. It is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a food additive

Food additive

Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance its taste and appearance.Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, preserving food by pickling , salting, as with bacon, preserving sweets or using sulfur dioxide as in some wines...

. It is of moderate toxicity with an LD 50 of 340 mg/kg.

See also

• Olfactory receptor
  Olfactory receptor
  Olfactory receptors expressed in the cell membranes of olfactory receptor neurons are responsible for the detection of odor molecules. Activated olfactory receptors are the initial player in a signal transduction cascade which ultimately produces a nerve impulse which is transmitted to the brain...
  
  
• Oct-1-en-3-one
  Oct-1-en-3-one
  Oct-1-en-3-one , also known as 1-octen-3-one, is the odorant that is responsible for the typical metallic smell of metals and blood coming into contact with skin...
  
  , the ketone analog that gives blood on skin its typical metallic, mushroom-like smell