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Androsterone

Androsterone is an androgen or male sex hormone.

Chemical Formula: C₁₉H₃₀O₂

Other names: 5a-Androstan-3a-ol-17-one

Layman's explanation: Butenandt received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1939 for studying sex hormones. Butenandt, in his acceptance speech, described how he was able to isolate a new compound from male urine that he called androsterone. Ruzicka, the scientist that shared the prize, was the first to synthesize this chemical in 1935 from a cholesterol derivative. This androgen plays a role in controlling male sexual development. This chemical may also serve as a pheromone according to researchers at the Ludwig-Bolzman-Institut in Vienna, but it was found to be active mostly when a woman was ovulating.

Keywords: pheromone, androgen, Butenandt, Ruzicka

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