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|Section2= |Section7= }} Methyl salicylate (oil of wintergreen or wintergreen oil) is an organic ester naturally produced by many species of plants, particularly wintergreens. It is also synthetically produced, used as a fragrance, in foods and beverages, and in liniments. The compound methyl salicylate was first isolated (from the plant ''Gaultheria procumbens'') in 1843 by the French chemist Auguste André Thomas Cahours (1813–1891), who identified it as an ester of salicylic acid and methanol.〔See: * Cahours, A. (1843) ("Recherches sur l'huile de ''Gaultheria procumbens''" ) (Investigations into the oil of ''Gaultheria procumbens''), ''Comptes rendus'' … , 16 : 853-856. * Cahours, A. (1843) ("Sur quelques réactions du salicylate de méthylène" ) (On some reactions of methyl salicylate), ''Comptes rendus'' … , 17 : 43-47.〕 ==Natural occurrence== This compound is produced most likely as an anti-herbivore defense. If the plant is infected with herbivorous insects, the release of methyl salicylate may function as an aid in the recruitment of beneficial insects to kill the herbivorous insects. Aside from its toxicity, methyl salicylate may also be used by plants as a pheromone to warn other plants of pathogens such as tobacco mosaic virus. Numerous plants produce methyl salicylate in very small amounts. Some plants, such as the following, produce more: *some species of the genus ''Gaultheria'' in the family Ericaceae, including ''Gaultheria procumbens'', the wintergreen or eastern teaberry; *some species of the genus ''Betula'' in the family Betulaceae, particularly those in the subgenus ''Betulenta'' such as ''B. lenta'', the black birch; *all species of the genus ''Spiraea'' in the family Rosaceae, also called the meadowsweets; *species of the genus ''Polygala'' in the family Polygalaceae. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「methyl salicylate」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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