Limonene is a colorless liquid hydrocarbon classified as a cyclic terpene. The more common d-isomer possesses a strong smell of oranges. It is used in chemical synthesis as a precursor to carvone and as a renewables-based solvent in cleaning products.
Limonene takes its name from the lemon, as the rind of the lemon, like other citrus fruits, contains considerable amounts of this compound, which contributes to their odor. Limonene is a chiral molecule, and biological sources produce one enantiomer: the principal industrial source, citrus fruit, contains d-limonene ((+)-limonene), which is the (R)-enantiomer. Racemic limonene is known as dipentene. d-Limonene is obtained commercially from citrus fruits through two primary methods: centrifugal separation or steam distillation.
Limonene is a relatively stable terpene and can be distilled without decomposition, although at elevated temperatures it cracks to form isoprene. It oxidizes easily in moist air to produce carveol, carvone, and limonene oxide. With sulfur, it undergoes dehydrogenation to p-cymene.
Lemon
See through in the sunlight
She wore lemon
But never in the daylight
She's gonna make you cry
She's gonna make you whisper and moan
And when you're dry
She draws her water from the stone
And I feel
Like I'm slowly, slowly, slowly slipping under
And I feel
Like I'm holding onto nothing
She wore lemon
To colour in the cold grey night
She had heaven
And she held on so tight
A man makes a picture
A moving picture
Through the light projected
He can see himself up close
A man captures colour
A man likes to stare
He turns his money into light to look for her
And I feel
Like I'm drifting, drifting, drifting from the shore
And I feel
Like I'm swimming out to her
Midnight is where the day begins
Midnight is where the day begins
Midnight is where the day begins
Lemon
See through in the sunlight
A man builds a city
With banks and cathedrals
A man melts the sand so he can
See the world outside You're gonna meet her there
A man makes a car She's your destination
And builds roads to run them on You gotta get to her
A man dreams of leaving She's imagination
But he always stays behind
And these are the days
When our work has come assunder
And these are the days
When we look for something other
Midnight is where the day begins
Midnight is where the day begins
A man makes a picture
A moving picture
Through the light projected
He can see himself up close You're gonna meet her there
A man captures colour She's your destination
A man likes to stare There's no sleeping there
He turns his money into light She's imagination
To look for her Lemon
She is the dreamer
She's imagination She had heaven
Through the light projected