menthone

menthone (countable and uncountable, plural menthones)

1. (organic chemistry) A minty-flavoured monoterpenoid ketone that is used in perfumery, cosmetics and flavouring.

   Menthone occurs naturally in a number of essential oils and exists as four possible stereoisomers.

   • 1894, Edward Kremers, Leo C. Urban, “Hydrocymenes and Derivatives”, in Proceedings of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Volume 42, American Pharmaceutical Association, page 261:

     Upon oxidation, menthol yields the ketone menthone.

   • 2015, Alan R. Hirsch, editor, Nutrition and Sensation, Taylor & Francis (CRC Press), page 277:

     The steady decline in salivary sucrose concentration in contrast with a rise in menthone concentration is air in the mouth that goes into the nose up the back of the throat.

   • 2016, Johannes Panten, Horst Surburg, Common Fragrance and Flavor Materials, Wiley-VCH, page 67:

     Physical constants of industrially important menthone isomers are listed in Table 2.1.
     The menthones are converted into the corresponding menthols by means of hydrogenation; for example, (−)-menthone yields (+)-neomenthol and (−)-menthol.

• isomenthone