Question

The oil of Cymbopoganflexuosus contains one of the following

• A. Citral
• B. Alpha-Terpienol
• C. Alpha pinene
• D. Nerol

Hint:

Citral is a key component of lemongrass oil, known for its lemon-like fragrance and used in various fragrance and flavor products.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Cymbopogon flexuosus is the botanical name for lemongrass, and lemongrass oil is prized commercially precisely because of its high content of citral, the aldehyde that gives it its sharp lemon scent and makes it valuable in perfumery and flavouring. The other three compounds, terpineol, pinene, and nerol, are constituents of other essential oils (pine, rose, and related plants) rather than the defining component of lemongrass oil. So the answer is citral.

Answer 2

Another way to confirm this is to think about what each of these essential oils is actually used for commercially, since that use often points straight back to its main chemical constituent.

1. Citral: Valued industrially as a starting material for making ionones (used in perfumery) and vitamin A synthesis, precisely because lemongrass oil supplies it in abundance.
2. Alpha-Terpineol: Prized for its pleasant lilac-like fragrance and used in soaps and disinfectant formulations, sourced typically from pine oil rather than lemongrass.
3. Alpha pinene: Used industrially as a solvent and as a starting material for camphor and synthetic pine-fragrance compounds, obtained from coniferous turpentine, unrelated to lemongrass.
4. Nerol: Used mainly as a fragrance note in perfumery, obtained from rose-type oils, and present in Cymbopogon flexuosus oil only as a minor accompanying component.

Since the industrial and commercial importance of lemongrass oil is built around its citral content, this is the compound the question is pointing to.

Therefore, the correct answer is Citral.