Tridecane is one of the major chemicals secreted from some insects as a defense against predators.
Miscellaneous comments:
Extracted from PDB file pdb1cwq.ent
occurs in 0 other PDB entries
Layman's explanation:
n-Tridecane is a combustible, colorless liquid used in organic synthesis. It is also used in jet-fuel research, in the manufacture of paraffin products, in the rubber industry, in the paper processing industry, and a solvent and distillation chaser. All of these uses may result in its release to the environment through various waste streams, which has adverse effects to our health (absorbed through the skin it is dermatotoxic and causes irritation) and to the environment (used as fuel and in combustion it produces several pollutants that cause smog and global warming). Interestingly, n-tridecane is one of the major chemicals secreted from some insects as a defense against predators. Insects that lack the secretion are more susceptible to predation than insects with secretion. However, some predators use the detection of tridecane and other chemicals as kairomones to locate their prey.
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