Menthol is the active ingredient that gives peppermint its cooling taste.
CAS registry number:
89-78-1
Layman's explanation:
Menthol, as it is found in peppermint, was discovered in the 1600s, a plant resulting from a cross of water-mint and spearmint (Mentha x. Piperita). Menthol is used as a food additive and is added to several other products for its taste and aroma: cigarettes, medicines, and cosmetics. Peppermint comes from the Greek word meaning thought.
IUPAC name:
(1R,2S,5R)-2-Isopropyl-5-methyl-cyclohexanol
Citation of a publication:
R. Bombicz, J. Bushmann, P. Luger,
Nguyen Xuan Dung, Chu BaNam;
Z. Kristallogr., 214, (1999), 420
Lab name:
Common molecules
Sample provider:
Obtained courtesy of the Cambridge Structural Database
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