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pinene

pinene

1 8.1
A clear liquid from pine sap that gives pine trees their smell and is used to make cleaners and perfumes
  • noun
  • /ˈpaɪˌniːn/
  • Specialized
: pineno
  • The aroma of pinene can enhance the fragrance of various cleaning products.

Examples

  • Moreover, pinene reacts with ozone to form pinol, which combines with water to form a hydrate that has a melting point higher than the boiling point of water.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Camphor is synthesized from the hydrocarbon pinene, a turpentine derivative.

    Academic text (2007)
  • The concentration of terpenes, including B-limonene and alpha-pinene, is also included in Table 2.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Many essential oils, such as pinene, emit a fresh scent reminiscent of pine forests.

  • In industrial applications, pinene is used as a solvent due to its low toxicity.

Surface Forms

pinene singular
pinenes plural

Morphology

pinene = pine (semi-transparent) = pine + ene

The relation to 'pine' is clear, but the technical chemical suffix '-ene' (indicating an unsaturated hydrocarbon) may be unfamiliar to general learners.

Etymology

Pinene comes from pine, the tree, plus the chemical ending -ene, which you can think of as meaning 'a kind of chemical'. So pinene is the natural chemical from pine that gives the tree its fresh, piney smell.