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Compound sheet · CK-79990

Aroma molecule · oxygenated compound

4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene

Smells ofmusty, earthy, sweet

Found in 5 ingredients. 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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2D structure of 4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene, C10H14O2
2D structure · PubChem 79990
Formula
C10H14O2
Mass
166.22 g/mol
CAS
5888-51-7
PubChem
79990
Threshold
—
Class
oxygenated compound
Status
Aroma-active

01How little it takes

  • in a foodpapers disagree 3.4

ppb, log scale · tick = median of published values, bar = full range, from open-access paper tables (not reviewed)

02Where it turns up

  • Drinks4
  • Other1

of the 5 ingredients that contain it, by food group

03What it travels with

(+)-neomenthol 5 (e)-β-farnesene 5 (z,z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid 5 1,2-benzenediol 5 1-hydroxy-2-propanone 5 4-ethyl-1,…

line weight = ingredients carrying both, of 5 · only molecules found with it at least 1.5× as often as across all foods

What does 4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene smell like?

Sources describe it as musty, earthy, sweet.

How this molecule is described

  • musty, earthy FlavorDB 2.0
  • earthy, musty FlavorDB 2.0
  • musty, earthy, sweet shown above Llm Adjudicated

Ordered by how many independent descriptor streams give each wording, then by how often it appears. The bar is replication (one source copied onto many ingredients scores high), not corroboration.

Which foods contain 4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene?

We list 5 ingredients 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 4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene in it. ✓n = sources that recorded the link.

How strong is 4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene?

We hold no published odour threshold for 4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene, so we cannot say how little of it you could smell.

Thresholds in published tables

MediumMedianRangeValuesPapersPapers agree?
food matrix 3.4 ppb 3.4–3.4 11 one paper
unstated 3.4 ppb 3.4–3.4 22 yes

Numbers printed in open-access papers, grouped by the medium the table states. Median and full range; “agree” means two or more papers whose middle 80% of values sit within 100×. Not reviewed.

Volatility
medium

What is it found with?

Of the 5 ingredients that carry 4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene, 5 also carry (+)-neomenthol, 5 (e)-β-farnesene and 5 (z,z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid. These are the most frequent companions among molecules that turn up with 4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene at least 1.5 times as often as they do across all foods; the very common molecules found nearly everywhere are left out because they say nothing about it.

Is 4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene 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.

4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene questions

What does 4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene smell like?

Sources describe 4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene as musty, earthy and sweet.

Which foods contain 4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene?

We list 5 ingredients that contain 4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene.

What molecules are found with 4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene?

The molecules most often found in the same ingredients are (+)-neomenthol, (e)-β-farnesene, (z,z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid and 1,2-benzenediol.

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Cite this analysis
Plain text
Compound Kitchen (2026). 4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene compound data sheet. https://compkitchen.com/compound/4-ethyl-1%2C2-dimethoxybenzene. Accessed 2026-11-03.
BibTeX
@misc{compkitchen_compound_4_ethyl_1_2_dimethoxybenzene_compound_data_sheet_2026,
  title  = {4-ethyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene compound data sheet},
  author = {{Compound Kitchen}},
  year   = {2026},
  url    = {https://compkitchen.com/compound/4-ethyl-1%2C2-dimethoxybenzene},
  note   = {Accessed: 2026-11-03}
}

Methodology DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19719459 · CC BY 4.0 · Citations are a request, not a requirement.