Fatty aldehydes arealiphatic, long-chainaldehydes which may be mono- orpolyunsaturated. The fatty aldehydes include compounds such asoctanal,nonanal,decanal ordodecanal. The nomenclature is derived from the nomenclature of thealkanes, the ending-al is added to indicate the aldehyde group.
Fatty aldehydes are a natural component of manynatural ingredients such as theessential oils of various citrus fruits.Decanal, for example, is a component of orange peel.[1] Thepheromone cocktails of various insect pheromones contain fatty aldehydes.[2] Fat aldehydes were also detected in theheart muscle of mammals.[3]
Fatty aldehydes can be prepared bydehydrogenation offatty alcohols on copper-zinccatalysts.[4] By thehydroformylation ofalkenes, fatty aldehydes are produced on a large industrial scale.[5]
A large proportion of the fatty aldehydes prepared byhydroformylation is directly processed further tofatty alcohols. Many fatty aldehydes find use as afragrance in perfume production. An example is2-methylundecanal which is the typical odor component ofChanel No. 5.[6]Decanal, whose sweet, flowery odor reminiscents of orange peels, is used, among other things, as aflavoring agent in thefood industry and as a perfume in theperfume industry.