Is Androstenone a Ketone?

Androstenone is a steroid found in human sweat and urine. It is considered a ketone because it contains a caronyl group (a carbon double bonded to oxygen) attached to two carbons.

Ketones

• Ketones are a class of compounds that incorporate a carbonyl group, consisting of a carbon molecule (C) in a double bond to an oxygen molecule (O), bonded to two other carbons. The double bond is signified as C=O.

Androstenone

• Androstenone is a steroid, a group of hormones that all have a structure of 4 connected carbon rings; each carbon position is identified by a number. Androstenone is ketone because its "A" carbon ring contains a carbonyl group at carbon 3.

Identification

• The suffix -one (pronounced like own) on a chemical name usually indicates a ketone. Androstenone has this suffix, and its status as a ketone is also indicated by the designation "3-one" in its chemical name: 5-alpha-androst-16-en-3-one.

Properties

• Androstenone is found in human sweat and urine. It was the first identified pheromone in mammals (a pheromone is a chemical signal between members of the same species). Ketones are highly soluble in water, so androstenone has been marketed as a human pheromone for sexual attraction, although there is no evidence that it works.

Fun Fact

• Some people perceive androstenone as a urine or sweat smell while others perceive a sweet or floral odor. Some people can't smell it at all, although repeated exposure to the odor can make it detectable to some.