Oxidation of α-Farnesene

Abstract

The sesquiterpene α- farnesene increases rapidly in apples during cold storage and its autoxidation appears to play an important role in the production of the storage disorder superficial scald. To aid the identification of α- farnesene oxidation products formed in stored fruit, the oxidation of α- farnesene has been studied. A variety of reagents for photochemical allylic oxidation, hydroxylation and epoxidation have been screened to determine the site selectivity of the oxidation process.