Farnesol |
![]() Last updated: 23/08/2025 |
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(Also known as: farnesyl alcohol ; Spider mite alarm pheromone) |
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A naturally occurring substance that is a plant essential oil and also a component of the spider mite alarm pheromone | |
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Chemical structure |
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Thre are four possible isomers of farnesol. Only the (2E,6E)-isomer (trans-farnesol) is commercially available in relatively high isomeric purity. The other three isomers tend ro only be available as minor components in the commercial material. | |
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C₁₅H₂₆O | |
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CC(=CCCC(=CCCC(=CCO)C)C)C | |
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CC(=CCC/C(=C/CC/C(=C/CO)/C)/C)C | |
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CRDAMVZIKSXKFV-YFVJMOTDSA-N | |
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InChI=1S/C15H26O/c1-13(2)7-5-8-14(3)9-6-10-15(4)11-12-16/h7,9,11,16H,5-6,8,10,12H2,1-4H3/b14-9+,15-11+ | |
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General status |
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Pheromone; Plant-derived substance; Animal-derived substance | |
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Natural | |
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Acts as an insect repellent and attractant | |
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4602-84-0 | |
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3879-60-5 | |
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225-004-1 | |
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128910 | |
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222.37 | |
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(2E,6E)-3,7,11-trimethyldodeca-2,6,10-trien-1-ol | |
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(Z,E)-3,7,11-trimethyl-2,6,10-dodecatrien-1-ol | |
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Colourless to pale yellow clear oily liquid | |
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Commercial |
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Current | |||
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1987, first registered USA | |||
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Usually supplied in slow release formulations that are used within pheromone dispensers | |||
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Commercial production of farnesol typically involves chemical synthesis. The process begins with the synthesis of farnesyl pyrophosphate, a key intermediate formed from geranyl pyrophosphate and isopentenyl pyrophosphate. This compound is then hydrolysed to produce farnesol, an acyclic sesquiterpene alcohol. | |||
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While exact CO₂e values are not published for specific pheromones, some general information is available. The PHERA reported that biotechnological production (e.g. yeast fermentation) of pheromones can reduce GHG emissions by up to 90% compared to traditional chemical synthesis and GHG emissions are typically in the 5 to 10 kg CO₂e per kg of pheromone produced. Other sources suggest that small scale pheromone synthesis typically has emissions in the range 1 – 3 kg CO₂e per kg of pheromone produced. |
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25 | V3 V = ChemID Online Databases; Chemspider; PubChem. (ChemID ) 3 = Unverified data of known source |
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263 | Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source |
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96 | Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source |
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2.04 X 1005 | Calculated | - | |||||||
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5.31 | Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source |
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0.887 | Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source |
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1.487 | Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source |
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Degradation |
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As this parameter is not normally measured directly, a surrogate measure is used: ‘Photochemical oxidative DT₅₀’. Where data is available, this can be found in the Fate Indices section below. | ||||||||||
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Soil adsorption and mobility |
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Fate indices |
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Known metabolites |
None
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Terrestrial ecotoxicology |
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> 6000 | Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources Rat3 = Unverified data of known source |
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> 2000 | Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources No adverse effects identified or expected.3 = Unverified data of known source |
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> 1000 | Q2 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources Expert judgement2 = Unverified data of unknown source |
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> 100 | Q2 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources Expert judgement2 = Unverified data of unknown source |
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Aquatic ecotoxicology |
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1.8 | E3 E = Manufacturers safety data sheets Oncorhynchus mykiss3 = Unverified data of known source |
Moderate | ||||||||
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2.2 | E3 E = Manufacturers safety data sheets Daphnia magna3 = Unverified data of known source |
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General |
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Low (class I) | - | - | ||||||||
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> 6000 | Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources Rat3 = Unverified data of known source |
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5000 | Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources Rabbit3 = Unverified data of known source |
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Intraperitoneal LD₅₀ = 443.0 mg kg⁻¹ | Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources Mouse3 = Unverified data of known source |
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Health issues |
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May cause general depression in activity |
Handling issues |
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No information available | |||
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Not listed (Not listed) | |||
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Not regulated | |||
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farnesol | ||
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Record last updated: | 23/08/2025 |
Contact: | aeru@herts.ac.uk |
Please cite as: | Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D. and Green, A. (2016) An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 22(4), 1050-1064. DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2015.1133242 |