Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 15, 2025

Biosynthesis of a Flavonol from a Flavanone by Establishing a One-pot Bienzymatic Cascade
Published on: August 14, 2019
Possible metabolic conversion of pinene to ionone
T H Al-Tel1, H Tarazi1, L O Aloum1
1Research Institute for Medical & Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
Abstract:
The unintended consequence of the ingestion of certain foods to alter the scent or color of urine is well known. Less awareness exists regarding the practice of ingestion of natural products or drugs with the intended purpose of conferring urine the scent of violets. The resin of the terebinth tree and the derived turpentine were widely used in antiquity in wine-making, both as taste enhancer and conserving agent, so the effect on urine was possibly noticed due to the presence in wines. It is also possible that turpentine's effect on urine was noticed subsequent to its use as medicine, as a component of various remedies popular in those days. The scent altering effect requires metabolic conversion of pinene, the main turpentine component to ionone, the molecule mainly responsible for the scent of violets. The metabolic pathway (in humans or otherwise) was (to our knowledge) not yet described. We here propose a possible metabolic pathway for the conversion of pinene to ionone, explaining the scent altering effect of turpentine. We also provide calculated pharmacokinetic (pK) data for the mentioned substances.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Preparation of Diols and Pinacol Rearrangement
The reaction begins with transferring a proton from the acid catalyst to one of the hydroxyl groups, producing an oxonium ion.
Vicinal Diols via Reductive Coupling of Aldehydes or Ketones: Pinacol Coupling Overview
Phase I Reactions: Oxidation of Aliphatic and Aromatic Carbon-Containing Systems
Oxidation reactions are fundamental in aromatic carbon-containing systems. An example is the hydroxylation of phenobarbital, a process that transforms it into...
Drug Metabolism: Phase I Reactions
Phase I Oxidative Reactions: Overview
Oxidation of Phenols to Quinones
o-hydroxy phenols are oxidized to o-quinones and p-hydroxy phenols to p-quinones. Such redox reactions involve the transfer of two electrons and two protons. The reversible redox...

