essential oil

Any of a class of highly volatile (readily evaporating) organic compounds found in plants and usually named for them (e.g., rose oil, peppermint oil). They have been known and traded since ancient times. Many essential oils contain isoprenoids. Some, such as oil of wintergreen (methyl salicylate) and orange oil (math.d-limonene), have one predominant component, but most have dozens or hundreds. Trace components impart an oil's characteristic odour, which synthetic or blended oils can rarely duplicate. Essential oils have three primary commercial uses: as odorants in perfumes, soaps, detergents, and other products; as flavours in baked goods, candies, soft drinks, and many other foods; and as pharmaceuticals, in dental products and many medicines (see aromatherapy).

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Volatile means something changing or changeable. It can refer to:

In general:

• Volatility, a measure of instability

In economics:

• Volatility (finance), a measure of the risk in a financial instrument

In chemistry:

• Volatility (chemistry), a measure of the tendency of a substance to vaporize. It has also been defined as a measure of how readily a substance vaporizes.
• Volatiles, a group of compounds with low boiling points that are associated with a planet's or moon's crust and/or atmosphere
• Volatile liquids, liquid with a high vapor pressure or low boiling point
• Volatile organic compounds, organic compounds that can evaporate at normal temperature and pressure, and are often regulated by governments
• Volatile anaesthetics, a class of anaesthetics which evaporate easily
• Volatile substance abuse, the abuse of household inhalants containing volatile compounds
• Volatile oil, also known as essential oil, an oil derived from plants with aromatic compounds used in cosmetics and flavoring
• Volatile acidity, a term used in winemaking to indicate an unacceptably high level of acid or vinegar and baking soda.

In computer science:

• Volatile variables, variables that can be changed by an external process
• Volatile memory, memory that lasts only while the power is on (and thus would be lost after a restart)

In geology:

• Volatiles, the volatile compounds of magma (mostly water vapor) that affect the appearance and strength of volcanoes

Other uses:

• Volatile Games, a video games maker

See also

• Volatility
• Relative volatility