Limonene
Limonene is a colorless liquid hydrocarbon classified as a cyclic terpene It is found in orange rinds or peels .Orange peels are blended with water and the essential oil is extracted by steam distillation assembly. It is used in chemical synthesis as a precursor to carvone and as a renewables-based solvent in cleaning products. The less common l-isomer is found in mint oils and has a, turpentine-like odor.
Uses of Limonene;
Limonene is common in cosmetic products.
d-limonene is used in food manufacturing and some medicines, e.g. as a flavoring to mask the bitter taste of alkaloids, and as a fragrance in perfumery, aftershave lotions, bath products and other such products that include fragrance, it is also used as botanical insecticide.
Limonene is increasingly being used as a solvent for cleaning purposes, such as the removal of oil from machine.
As it is combustible, limonene has also been considered as a biofuel
In preparing tissues for histology or histopathology, d-limonene is often used as a less toxic substitute for xylene when clearing dehydrated specimens. Clearing agents are liquids miscible with alcohols (such as ethanol or isopropanol) and with melted paraffin wax, in which specimens are embedded to facilitate cutting of thin sections for microscopy.