β-Pinene

Identity

Property Value
Preferred name β-Pinene
IUPAC name 6,6-dimethyl-2-methylidenebicyclo[3.1.1]heptane
CAS number 127-91-3
PubChem CID 14896 [^3]
Chemical family Bicyclic Monoterpene
Molecular formula C10H16
Molecular mass 136.23 g/mol
Stereochemistry Chiral; both enantiomers occur in nature

Aroma and sensory character

Woody, pine-like, green, slightly spicy note.

Occurrence outside cannabis

  • Pine (Pinus species)
  • Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
  • Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)

Physical properties

Property Value
Standard boiling point 166 °C (Antoine estimate; not explicitly listed by NIST) [^1]
Reference pressure 101.325 kPa
Data source Secondary literature; NIST WebBook (CAS 127-91-3) lists no explicit boiling point

Thermal-extraction context

Reported biological activity

Human evidence

Clinical evidence for isolated β-pinene remains limited.

Animal or laboratory evidence

Cellular studies report cytotoxic and antioxidant properties; this claim remains uncited in the archive 1.

Traditional or anecdotal claims

Associated with herbal steam preparations.

Cannabis laboratory results

Measured at 0.14–0.53 mg/g dry weight in two US hemp cultivars by validated GC-MS of hydrodistilled oil; typically minor relative to β-myrcene and limonene in the same samples 2. See Lab Results for batch analyses.

Sources

  1. No primary source located during the editorial audit; requires identification and verification. ↩

  2. Joy N, et al. A Validated GC-MS Method for Major Terpenes Quantification in Cannabis sativa L. Essential Oil. 2025. PMC12670203; PMID 40042239. ↩