Terpenes create the flavor profile in cannabis flower and they are oils that are secreted in the same glands as cannabinoids, such as Cannabidiol (CBD) and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and they were developed by the plant to repel predators and lure pollinators. Terpenes can be found in other plants as well, not just cannabis.
Terpenes (/ˈtɜːrpiːn/) are a large and diverse class of natural products with the general formula (C5H8)n, where n ≥ 2. They serve as crucial biosynthetic building blocks in many organisms, particularly plants. Comprising more than 30,000 compounds, these unsaturated hydrocarbons are produced predominantly by plants, particularly conifers. In plants, terpenes and terpenoids are important mediators of ecological interactions, while some insects use some terpenes as a form of defense. Other functions of terpenoids include cell growth modulation and plant elongation, light harvesting and photoprotection, and membrane permeability and fluidity control.
Terpenes are classified by the number of carbons: monoterpenes (C10), sesquiterpenes (C15), diterpenes (C20), as examples. The terpene alpha-pinene is a major component of turpentine, a common solvent.
One terpene that has major applications is natural rubber (i.e., polyisoprene). The possibility that other terpenes could be used as precursors to produce synthetic polymers has been investigated. Many terpenes have been shown to have pharmacological effects. Terpenes are also components of some traditional medicines, such as aromatherapy, and as active ingredients of pesticides in agriculture.
English
Etymology
From German Terpen, coined by August Kekulé in 1866 in analogy to German Terpentin, from Latin terebinthina. Piecewise doublet of terpin; compare also terebinth and turpentine.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈtɜː(ɹ)piːn/
Noun
terpene (plural terpenes)
- (organic chemistry) Any of a very large class of naturally occurring and synthetic organic compounds formally derived from the hydrocarbon isoprene; they include many volatile compounds used in perfume and food flavours, turpentine, the steroids, the carotene pigments and
