QUICK RESOURCES: Terpenes (Wikipedia), Monoterpenes (Wikipedia), Terpenoids (Wikipedia)

The term 'terpene' is a scientific classification for a large variety of hydrocarbons; all their chemical structures have similarity through a base C5H8 (5 carbon, 8 hydrogen) isoprene skeleton. Terpenes play a key role in biology as building blocks for many other compounds, so much so that most living things has a specific metabolic system, called the mevalonate pathway (or isoprenoid pathway), for creating and utilizing these 30000+ organic compounds.

Terpenes are inherently a part of the natural world, so it would make sense that humans are sensitive to them. Their role as building blocks is of great interest in many fields of study, primarily medicine, but their applications have been appreciated across the world as aromas and flavours. Smelling or tasting a compound involves chemical excitation of olfactory receptors in the human body, but not all compounds have this effect nor are all physically fragrant (in that they do not deposit molecules into the atmosphere over time).

Commercially, only a smaller percentage of terpenes are widely used and sold as products, but lesser known terpenes have seen use in world-class perfume and flavour industries. Their commercial uses are thought to be a primary driver of terpene study, even in pre-molecular history via perfumes and spices.

The origins of "terpene" as a name comes from the studies of August Kekulé who studied carbon bonding and reactions - it is a shortening of "turpentine," which is today known to be primarily composed of isomers of pinene. He is widely known for his prediction of the lifelike structure of benzene.

Many terpenes react with oxygen or other atoms to create terpenoids (external link). Terpenoids have these extra functional groups of oxygen or otherwise that will modify the structure's behaviour and thus its perceived effect, so you will see descriptions of terpenoids, monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids and beyond, but often these will simply be discussed as either all "terpenoids" or even entirely simplified to "terpenes."

In our products, you will see these classifications mentioned as a means to provide you the most information possible, but a terpenoid is always of the terpene family.

Terpenes vary from their base structure of C5H8 in multiples of the original carbon atoms. Monoterpenes all have an identifiable structure of C10H16; sesquiterpenes all have a structure of C15H24, continuing the pattern with di-, sester-, tri-, and so forth. Most terpenes handled in aromatic industries exist within the first few groups excepting isoprene itself (forms natural rubber, sometimes considered a hemiterpenoid). Large terpenes do exist in nature, like carotenoids  / tetraterpenoids (40 carbon atoms), but they are not aromatic.

Knowing this and the terpenoid class described above, one can better navigate terminology around this wide field of study to find answers on particular subjects.

The importance of these distinctions may seem unnecessary when desiring to mix one compound with another to create something new; however, it must be emphasized that haphazardly mixing chemicals of any nature is completely unsafe and hence we cannot provide products to anyone underage. There are also less dangerous results that have plagued the industry for years, such as stabilizing these powerful compounds when isolated or mixed - it is only through research and extreme care in application that this field has progressed.

We encourage you to learn further as your product grows, and Absolute is proudly here to help.