A colorless liquid compound found in citronella oil, used in perfumes and insect repellents for its distinctive lemon-like scent.
From 'citronella' plus the chemical suffix '-al' (indicating an aldehyde compound)—a precise chemistry term created when scientists began isolating and naming the active ingredients in essential oils.
Citronellal is the actual reason citronella works against bugs—it's the specific molecule that makes mosquitoes think 'that's not food!'—so chemists synthesize it now instead of farming grass!
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