Pine oil is an essential oil obtained from a variety of pine species, particularly Pinus sylvestris. Typically, parts of trees not used for timber - logs etc. they are ground and subjected to steam distillation. As of 1995, synthetic pine oil was the "largest single derivative of turpentine.

Composition
Pine oil is a higher boiling fraction than turpentine. Both synthetic and natural pine oil are primarily composed of α-terpineol, a C10 alcohol. The detailed composition of natural pine oil depends on many factors, such as the host plant species. Synthetic pine oil is obtained by treating pinene with water in the presence of a catalytic amount of sulfuric acid.

Uses
Industrially, pine oil was once used in foam flotation to separate minerals from ores. For example, in copper mining, pine oil is used to prepare copper sulfide ores for froth flotation.
It is also used as a lubricant in small and expensive watch instruments.
In alternative medicine it is used in aromatherapy and as a scent in bath oils.

Properties as a disinfectant:
Pine oil is used as a cleaning product, disinfectant, germicide, viricide or insecticide. It is an effective herbicide where its action is to modify the waxy skin of plants, resulting in drying. Pine oil is a disinfectant that is mildly antiseptic. It is effective against Brevibacterium ammoniagenes, the fungi Candida albicans, Enterobacter aerogenes, Escherichia coli, Gram-negative enteric bacteria, household microbes, Gram-negative household microbes such as those that cause salmonellosis, herpes simplex types 1 and 2, influenza type A, influenza , virus type A/Brazil, influenza virus type A2/Japan, enteric bacteria, Klebsiella pneumoniae, odor causing bacteria, mold, mildew, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella choleraesuis, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella typhosa, Serratia pneumoniason faecalis, Streptococcus pyogenes and Trichophyton mentagrophytes.

Security
Pine oil has a relatively low level of human toxicity, a low level of corrosion and limited durability. However, it irritates the skin and mucous membranes and is known to cause respiratory problems. Large doses may cause central nervous system depression.