2-Heptanone, a volatile organic compound, belongs to a class of odorous ketones. 2-Heptanone has been used as a standard odorous compound in a study to understand the odor responses in basiconic, intermediate and trichoid olfactory receptor neurons of Drosophila melanogaster.

Uses

2-Heptanone is an aroma compound. It is a bioactive agent and has potential as a pesticide. The honeybee (Apis mellifera) pheromone 2-heptanone was evaluated for possible use as a repellent in conjunction with agricultural insecticides. An efficacious repellent would prevent or reduce honeybee mortality by lowering the incidence of contact between bees and toxic chemicals. It was shown that although 2-heptanone Downloaded by repels bees, its use as a repellent would probably not be practical in an agricultural setting, and that under some conditions it acted as an attractant.

2-Heptanone may be employed as solvent to determine the protection effectiveness of glove materials against solvents present in a commonly used automotive clear coat formulation using a novel permeation panel. It may be used in a study to investigate the influence of oxidation-induced structural modifications of myofibrillar protein on its binding ability with aroma compounds.