MOLECULE

1-Butanol

1-Butanol, also known as N-butan-1-ol or N-butyl alcohol, belongs to the class of organic compounds known as primary alcohols. Primary alcohols are compounds comprising the primary alcohol functional group, with the general structure RCOH (R=alkyl, aryl). Thus, 1-butanol is considered to be a fatty alcohol lipid molecule. 1-Butanol is a hydrophobic molecule, poorly soluble in water, and relatively neutral. 1-Butanol is an alcohol with a 4-carbon structure and the molecular formula of C4H10O. It is primarily used as a solvent, as an intermediate in chemical synthesis, and as fuel. There are four isomeric structures for butanol. The straight chain isomer with the alcohol at an internal carbon is sec-butanol or 2-butanol. The branched isomer with the alcohol at a terminal carbon is isobutanol, and the branched isomer with the alcohol at the internal carbon is tert-butanol. 1-Butanol is produced in small amounts by gut microbial fermentation through the butanoate metabolic pathway. It has been found in Bacillus, Clostridium, Escherichia, Lactobacillus, Pseudomonas, Saccharomyces, Synechococcus and Thermoanaerobacterium (http://publications.lib.chalmers.se/records/fulltext/162787.pdf) (https://ac.els-cdn.com/S0079635206800470/1-s2.0-S0079635206800470-main.pdf?_tid=1db841d3-3e7b-496f-beae-05ff16913bc6&acdnat=1550288698_645db12231ee1d15d4bb7036d31d8aad) (https://dl.uctm.edu/journal/node/j2018-4/8_17-182_p_683-696.pdf). 1-Butanol is a sweet, balsam, and fruit tasting compound. In plants, 1-Butanol is found, on average, in the highest concentration in highbush blueberries and bilberries. 1-Butanol has also been detected, but not quantified in several different foods, such as napa cabbages, wild rices, red rices, bamboo shoots, and lemon verbena. 1-butanol has also been reported to be detected as a part of Cannabis sativa volatiles (PMID: 26657499).