Diferentes formas de obtenção do geraniol

Abstract

Essential oils are a mixture of volatile and lipophilic molecules found in plants. These substances are widely used in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries due to their specific properties. Thanks to their characteristic aromas, they play a historical and essential role in the fragrance and perfume market. This relevance is confirmed by the constant growth in revenue within Brazil's personal hygiene and cleaning sector. One example is geraniol, an acyclic monoterpenoid alcohol found in rose leaves, which has a light floral rose note. Among the various existing extraction methods, only steam distillation allows for satisfactory yields of geraniol. However, due to the increasing demand for essential oils, extraction exclusively from natural sources has become insufficient to meet global market needs. This, in turn, has contributed to the development of more efficient synthetic methodologies for obtaining these molecules. Thus, geraniol can be synthesized in four reaction steps from β-pinene or obtained from citral through the reduction of the aldehyde group. Additionally, geraniol can be produced through biosynthetic pathways based on the mevalonate pathway, replicating the natural process that occurs in plants.