Introduction:

Rose Oxide, also named rosenoxide, 4-Methyl-2-(2-methylprop-1-en-1-yl)tetrahydro-2H-pyran, is an important fragrance chemical. It appears colorless to pale yellow liquid with floral and rose odor. Rose oxide is naturally found in Bulgaria rose oil and reunion geranium oil and has cis and trans isomers. Two isomers are presenting slightly different odors, sweet and delicate cis isomer, or, green and spicy trans isomer. In nature, rose oxide mainly exists in the form of cis. While most Rose Oxide sold on the market are mixtures of CIS and trans isomer.

Item	Cas No	Odor	Structure
Cis Isomer	3033-23-6	sweet delicate
Trans Isomer	16409-43-1	green spicy

Production:

Rose oxide can be produced through photooxygenation of citronellol or beta-citronellate acetate, or reaction between an epoxy ketone and methyl bromide magnesium.

Applications:

It is mainly used in the rose-like, geranyl-like and floral-like fragrance formulation, using for high-value perfume and cosmetics. The compound is also used as a flavoring agent, only a small dosage (0.01%~0.2%) can enhance the rose fragrance.

After years of continuous development, China is emerging as a major global producer of Rose Oxide and exports the compound to India, Vietnam, Chile, USA etc. At present, there are many Rose Oxide factories in China, but most are small and medium-sized enterprises and are limited to low-end products. The industrial structure of Rose Oxide in China needs to be improved in the future.

Data of export and import (2021) of Rose oxide and other heterocyclic compounds with oxygen hetero-atom(s):