Farnesol	Last updated: 23/08/2024
(Also known as: farnesyl alcohol ; Spider mite alarm pheromone)

---

GENERAL INFORMATION

Description	A naturally occurring substance that is a plant essential oil and also a component of the spider mite alarm pheromone
Availability status	Current
Introduction & key dates	1987, first registered USA
Examples of veterinary uses	-
Examples of species treated	-

Approval status

VMR 2013/2033 approval status (GB/UK)	-
EU Regulatory approval status	-

Chemical structure

Isomerism	Thre are four possible isomers of farnesol. Only the (2E,6E)-isomer (trans-farnesol) is commercially available in relatively high isomeric purity. The other three isomers tend ro only be available as minor components in the commercial material.
Chemical formula	C₁₅H₂₆O
Canonical SMILES	CC(=CCCC(=CCCC(=CCO)C)C)C
Isomeric SMILES	CC(=CCC/C(=C/CC/C(=C/CO)/C)/C)C
International Chemical Identifier key (InChIKey)	CRDAMVZIKSXKFV-YFVJMOTDSA-N
International Chemical Identifier (InChI)	InChI=1S/C15H26O/c1-13(2)7-5-8-14(3)9-6-10-15(4)11-12-16/h7,9,11,16H,5-6,8,10,12H2,1-4H3/b14-9+,15-11+
2D structure diagram/image available?	Yes

General status

Veterinary substance type	-
Substance groups	Pheromone; Plant-derived substance; Animal-derived substance
Minimum active substance purity	-
Known relevant impurities	-
Substance origin	Natural
Mode of action	Acts as an insect repellent and attractant
Molecular targets	-
CAS RN	4602-84-0
Alternative/old CAS RN	3879-60-5
EC number	225-004-1
CIPAC number	-
US EPA chemical code	128910
PubChem CID	-
Therapeutic Class	-
ATCvet Code	-
Controlled Drug?	-
Regulation 37/2010 MRL Classification	-
Molecular mass	222.37
PIN (Preferred Identification Name)	-
IUPAC name	(2E,6E)-3,7,11-trimethyldodeca-2,6,10-trien-1-ol
CAS name	(Z,E)-3,7,11-trimethyl-2,6,10-dodecatrien-1-ol
Other status information	-
Relevant Environmental Water Quality Standards	-
Physical state	Colourless to pale yellow clear oily liquid
Related substances & organisms	citronella oil

Formulations

Property	Product	Manufacturer	Authorisation Route	Legal Class (GB/UK)
Example products (past and present) using this active	-	-	-	-
Formulation and application details	-

ENVIRONMENTAL FATE

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Solubility - In water at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Solubility - In organic solvents at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Melting point (°C)		25	V3 V = ChemID Online Databases; Chemspider; PubChem. (ChemID ) 3 = Unverified data of known source	-
Boiling point (°C)		263	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	-
Degradation point (°C)		-	-	-
Flashpoint (°C)		96	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	-
Octanol-water partition coefficient at pH 7, 20 °C	P	2.04 X 1005	Calculated	-
	Log P	5.31	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	High
Fat solubility of residues	Solubility	-	-	-
	Data type	-	-	-
Density (g ml⁻¹)		0.887	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	-
Dissociation constant pKa) at 25 °C		-	-	-
		-
Vapour pressure at 20 °C (mPa)		-	-	-
Henry's law constant at 25 °C (Pa m³ mol⁻¹)		-	-	-
Volatilisation as max % of applied dose lost	From plant surface	-	-	-
	From soil surface	-	-	-
Maximum UV-vis absorption L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹		-	-	-
Surface tension (mN m⁻¹)		-	-	-
Refractive Index		1.487	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	-
Environmental release		-

Degradation

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Soil degradation (days) (aerobic)	DT₅₀ (typical)	-	-	-
	DT₅₀ (lab at 20 °C)	-	-	-
	DT₅₀ (field)	-	-	-
	DT₉₀ (lab at 20 °C)	-	-	-
	DT₉₀ (field)	-	-	-
	Note	-
Manure DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Aqueous photolysis DT₅₀ (days) at pH 7	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Aqueous hydrolysis DT₅₀ (days) at 20 °C and pH 7	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Water-sediment DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Water phase only DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Sediment phase only DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Air degradation		As this parameter is not normally measured directly, a surrogate measure is used: ‘Photochemical oxidative DT₅₀’. Where data is available, this can be found in the Fate Indices section below.
Decay in stored produce DT₅₀		-

Soil adsorption and mobility

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Linear	Kd (mL g⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Koc (mL g⁻¹)	-
	Notes and range	-
Freundlich	Kf (mL g⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Kfoc (mL g⁻¹)	-
	1/n	-
	Notes and range	-
pH sensitivity		-

Fate indices

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
GUS leaching potential index		-	-	-
Bio-concentration factor	BCF (l kg⁻¹)	-	-	-
	CT₅₀ (days)	-		-

Known metabolites

None

ECOTOXICOLOGY

Terrestrial ecotoxicology

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Mammals - Acute oral LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		> 6000	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	Low
Mammals - Short term dietary NOEL	(mg kg⁻¹)	-	-	-
	(ppm diet)	-		-
Mammals - Chronic 21d NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Birds - Acute LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		> 2000	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source No adverse effects identified or expected.	Low
Birds - Short term dietary (LC₅₀/LD₅₀)		-	-	-
Birds - Chronic 21d NOEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Earthworms - Acute 14 day LC₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		> 1000	Q2 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 2 = Unverified data of unknown source Expert judgement	Low
Earthworms - Chronic NOEC, reproduction (mg kg⁻¹)		-	-	-
Soil micro-organisms		-	-	-
Collembola	Acute LC₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Chronic NOEC (mg kg⁻¹)	-	-	-
Non-target plants		-	-	-
		-	-	-
Honeybees (Apis spp.)	Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Unknown mode acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	> 100	Q2 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 2 = Unverified data of unknown source Expert judgement	Low
	Chronic	-	-	-
	Notes	-
Bumblebees (Bombus spp.)	Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
		-
	Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
		-
Mason bees (Osmia spp.)	Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
Other bee species (1)	Acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Mode of exposure	-
Other bee species (2)	Acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Mode of exposure	-
Beneficial insects (Ladybirds)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Lacewings)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Parasitic wasps)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Predatory mites)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Ground beetles)		-	-	-

Aquatic ecotoxicology

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Temperate Freshwater Fish - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		1.8	E3 E = Manufacturers safety data sheets 3 = Unverified data of known source Oncorhynchus mykiss	Moderate
Temperate Freshwater Fish - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Tropical Freshwater Fish - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Temperate Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		2.2	E3 E = Manufacturers safety data sheets 3 = Unverified data of known source Daphnia magna	Moderate
Temperate Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Tropical Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Aquatic crustaceans - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Sediment dwelling organisms - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Sediment dwelling organisms - Chronic 28 day NOEC, static, water (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Sediment dwelling organisms - Chronic 28 day NOEC, sediment (mg kg⁻¹)		-	-	-
Aquatic plants - Acute 7 day EC₅₀, biomass (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Algae - Acute 72 hour EC₅₀, growth (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Algae - Chronic 96 hour NOEC, growth (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Mesocosm study data	NOEAEC mg l⁻¹	-	-	-
	NOEAEC mg l⁻¹	-	-	-
Marine bivalves		-	-	-

HUMAN HEALTH AND PROTECTION

General

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Threshold of Toxicological Concern (Cramer Class)		Low (class I)	-	-
Mammals - Acute oral LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		> 6000	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	Low
Mammals - Dermal LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹ body weight)		5000	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Rabbit	-
Mammals - Inhalation LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Other Mammal toxicity endpoints		Intraperitoneal LD₅₀ = 443.0 mg kg⁻¹	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Mouse	-
ADI - Acceptable Daily Intake (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
ARfD - Acute Reference Dose (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
AAOEL - Acute Acceptable Operator Exposure Level (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
AOEL - Acceptable Operator Exposure Level - Systemic (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
Dermal penetration studies (%)		-	-	-
Dangerous Substances Directive 76/464		-	-	-
Exposure Routes	Public	-
	Occupational	-
Mammalian dose elimination route and rate		-	-	-

Health issues

Specific human health issues		Carcinogen Genotoxic Endocrine disruptor XNo, known not to cause a problem A0 A = Chromosome aberration (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; B0 B = DNA damage/repair (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; C0 C = Gene mutation (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; D0 D = Genome mutation (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; E3 E = Unspecified genotoxicity type (miscellaneous data source) 3 = Negative XNo, known not to cause a problem Reproduction / development effects Acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor Neurotoxicant XNo, known not to cause a problem XNo, known not to cause a problem XNo, known not to cause a problem Respiratory tract irritant Skin irritant Skin sensitiser ?Possibly, status not identified ✓Yes, known to cause a problem ?Possibly, status not identified Eye irritant Phototoxicant   ✓Yes, known to cause a problem No data found
General human health issues		May cause general depression in activity

Handling issues

Property	Value and interpretation
General	No information available
CLP classification 2013	-
WHO Classification	Not listed (Not listed)
UN Number	Not regulated
Waste disposal & packaging	-
Shelf-life, storage, stability and reactivity	-

TRANSLATIONS

Language	Name
English	farnesol
French	-
German	-
Danish	-
Italian	-
Spanish	-
Greek	-
Polish	-
Swedish	-
Hungarian	-
Dutch	-
Norwegian	-

---

Record last updated:	23/08/2024
Contact:	aeru@herts.ac.uk
Please cite as:	Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D. and Green, A. (2016) An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 22(4), 1050-1064. DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2015.1133242