The capnellane group became a focal point for synthesis in the 1970s and 80’s. Scientists believed that these compounds had antimicrobial properties, based on an earlier discovery of antimicrobial activity in gorgonian soft corals and a later study of antimicrobial terpenoid compounds in alcyonarians. It was also postulated that capnellenes also protect the soft coral by preventing larval settlement.
Capnella imbricata is a rich source of many non-isoprenoid sesquiterpenes, which all share the  ring system.  Consequently, the first known isolation of a capnellane derivative was not capnellene but a capnellanol.  As part of an ongoing search for terpenoids from marine sources, Kaisin et al. (1974) characterized the most abundant terpenoid, Δ-capnellene-3β,8β,10α-triol, from colonies of Capnella imbricata.  The structure and absolute configuration of the triol were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and later confirmed by x-ray crystallography.
Kaisin et al. (1974) coined the name “capnellane” for the hydrocarbon skeleton on which the molecule was based.  However, Shiekh et al. (1976) also claim to have originated the name. The first isolation of the hydrocarbon form, Δ9-capnellene, was achieved in 1978. Since then, numerous groups have isolated both Δ-capnellene and its alcohol derivatives.