Molecule · hydrocarbon
3-methylpentane
Found in 1 ingredient. We hold no measured concentration for it in any of them yet, so we cannot say where it is strong enough to smell.
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- Formula
- C6H14
- Mass
- 86.18 g/mol
- CAS
- 96-14-0
- PubChem
- 7282
- FEMA
- not listed
- Threshold · air
- 8900 ppb
- Class
- hydrocarbon
- Status
- —
01How little it takes
- in air 8,900
ppb, log scale · tick = median of published values, bar = full range
02Where it turns up
- Herbs & spices1
of the 1 ingredient that contain it, by food group
03What it travels with
Too few ingredients to say what it travels with.
What does 3-methylpentane smell like?
We hold no odour description for 3-methylpentane.
Which foods contain 3-methylpentane?
We list 1 ingredient that contain it, but presence is not the same as smell. What matters is how much is there compared with how little it takes to notice it. That ratio is the odour activity value (OAV): above 1, you can smell it.
Found in
Measured foods first, then real food profiles, then thin or composite records (marked). The figure beside each is how many compounds that ingredient has in total, not the amount of 3-methylpentane in it. ✓n = sources that recorded the link.
How strong is 3-methylpentane?
In air: 8900 ppb, from 1 published value.
Published thresholds
1 measured value from the literature, grouped by what was measured: a threshold smelled in clean water, tasted, or measured in a real food are different quantities and are not pooled.
| Threshold | Matrix | Source | Paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8900 ppb | air | Nagata 2003 | — |
Only values we can attribute are listed. Where a compendium’s licence does not permit public attribution its figures are omitted, so every number here traces to a citable source.
- Volatility
- high
- Retention index
- 554
Is 3-methylpentane safe to eat?
Not in FEMA GRAS publications 1–33. Of 3,367 listed flavoring substances, none match this compound or its other names. It may still be food-safe under other regulatory routes (FDA 21 CFR 172, EFSA, JECFA); check femaflavor.org for the authoritative current list.
3-methylpentane questions
Which foods contain 3-methylpentane?
We list 1 ingredient that contain 3-methylpentane.
How strong is 3-methylpentane?
The median of 1 published odour thresholds in air is 8900 ppb.
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Cite this analysis
Compound Kitchen (2026). 3-methylpentane compound data sheet. https://compkitchen.com/compound/3-methylpentane. Accessed 2026-11-03.
@misc{compkitchen_compound_3_methylpentane_compound_data_sheet_2026,
title = {3-methylpentane compound data sheet},
author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://compkitchen.com/compound/3-methylpentane},
note = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}
Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.