Balsamic

The name is also given to a balsamic resin obtained from Styrax benzoin, which is carminative and mildly expectorant. 

Benzoic acid had been known for several hundred years by the time of Mitscher lich s experiment Many trees exude resinous materials called balsams when cuts are made m their bark Some of these balsams are very fragrant which once made them highly prized articles of commerce especially when the trees that produced them could be found only m exotic faraway lands Gum benzoin is a balsam obtained from a tree that grows m Java and Sumatra Benzoin is a word derived from the Erench equivalent benjoin which in turn comes from the Arabic luban jawi meaning incense from Java Benzoic acid is itself odorless but can easily be isolated from gum benzoin... 

Compounds related to benzene were obtained from similar plant extracts Eor example a pleasant smelling resin known as tolu balsam was obtained from the South American tolu tree In the 1840s it was discovered that distillation of tolu balsam gave a methyl derivative of benzene which not surprisingly came to be named... 

Acetophenone. Acetophenone [98-86-2] (methyl phenyl ketone) is a colorless Hquid that forms laminar crystals at low temperature (mp 20°C). It has a characteristic sweet orange blossom odor, and is soluble in alcohols and ethers. It is found in nature in oil of casatoreum, obtained from beavers oil of labdanum, recovered from plants and in buds of balsam poplar. It can be prepared by the Friedel-Crafts reaction (qv) of acetyl chloride with benzene in the presence of aluminum chloride however, this route is of Htde commercial significance. 

Essential oils are isolated from various plant parts, such as leaves (patchouH), fmit (mandarin), bark (cinnamon), root (ginger), grass (citroneUa), wood (amyris), heartwood (cedar), gum (myrrh oil), balsam (tolu balsam oil), berries (pimento), seeds (diU), flowers (rose), twigs and leaves (thuja oil), and buds (cloves). 

Exceptions to the simple definition of an essential oil are, for example, gadic oil, onion oil, mustard oil, or sweet birch oils, each of which requires enzymatic release of the volatile components before steam distillation. In addition, the physical process of expression, appHed mostly to citms fmits such as orange, lemon, and lime, yields oils that contain from 2—15% nonvolatile material. Some flowers or resinoids obtained by solvent extraction often contain only a small portion of volatile oil, but nevertheless are called essential oils. Several oils are dry-distiUed and also contain a limited amount of volatiles nonetheless they also are labeled essential oils, eg, labdanum oil and balsam oil Pern. The yield of essential oils from plants varies widely. Eor example, nutmegs yield 10—12 wt % of oil, whereas onions yield less than 0.1% after enzymatic development. 

The function of the essential oil in the plant is not fully understood. Microscopic examination of plant parts that contain the oil sacs readily shows their presence. The odors of flowers are said to act as attractants for insects involved in pollination and thus may aid in preservation and natural selection. Essential oils are almost always bacteriostats and often bacteriocides. Many components of essential oils are chemically active and thus could participate readily in metaboHc reactions. They are sources of plant metaboHc energy, although some chemists have referred to them as waste products of plant metaboHsm. Exudates, which contain essential oils, eg, balsams and resins, act as protective seals against disease or parasites, prevent loss of sap, and are formed readily when the tree tmnks are damaged. 

Amyris Oil. Obtained by steam distillation of the wood of y m hakamijera L., the so-called West Indian sandalwood which is indigenous to northern South America, Central America, and the West Indies, amyris oil [8015-65-4] is a pale yellow to brownish yellow viscous oil with a slightly oily-sweet and occasionally peppery balsamic woody note. It finds use as a blender and fixative for soap fragrances. The volatile constituents, which are primarily hydrocarbon and oxygenated sesquiterpenes, are shown in Table 22 and Figure 5 (63). 

Bay Oil. Steam distillation of the leaves of the tree Pimenta racemosa (Mill) which is indigenous to certain islands of the West Indies, particularly Dominica and Puerto Rico, is called bay or bay leaf oil. The same source was used in the past to produce Bay Rum in which mm was distilled over the leaves. Bay oil [8006-78-8] is a yellowish to dark brown mobile Hquid with a fresh-spicy, sometimes medicinal odor with a lasting sweet-balsamic undertone. The oil finds extensive use in hair tonics, after-shave lotions as well as other men s-type fragrances. There is Htde or no use by the flavor industry. The range of components for a number of bay leaf oils is shown in Table 25 (66). 

Pimento Berry Oil. The pimento or allspice tree, Pimenta dioca L. (syn. P. officinalis, Liadl.), a native of the West Indies and Central America, yields two essential oils of commercial importance pimento berry oil and pimenta leaf oil. The leaf oil finds some use ia perfumery for its resemblance to clove leaf and cinnamon leaf oils as a result of its high content of eugenol. Pimento berry oil is an item of commerce with extensive appHcation by the flavor industry ia food products such as meat sauces, sausages, and pickles, and moderate use ia perfumery, where it is used primarily as a modifier ia the modem spicy types of men s fragrances. The oil is steam-distilled from dried, cmshed, fully grown but unripe fmits. It is a pale yellow Hquid with a warm-spicy, sweet odor with a fresh, clean topnote, a tenacious, sweet-balsamic-spicy body, and a tea-like undertone. A comparative analysis of the headspace volatiles of ripe pimento berries and a commercial oil has been performed and differences are shown ia Table 52 (95). 

Turpentine Oil. The world s largest-volume essential oil, turpentine [8006-64-2] is produced ia many parts of the world. Various species of piaes and balsamiferous woods are used, and several different methods are appHed to obtain the oils. Types of turpentines include dry-distiUed wood turpentine from dry distillation of the chopped woods and roots of pines steam-distilled wood turpentine which is steam-distilled from pine wood or from solvent extracts of the wood and sulfate turpentine, which is a by-product of the production of sulfate ceUulose. From a perfumery standpoint, steam-distilled wood turpentine is the only important turpentine oil. It is rectified to yield pine oil, yellow or white as well as wood spirits of turpentine. Steam-distilled turpentine oil is a water-white mobile Hquid with a refreshing warm-balsamic odor. American turpentine oil contains 25—35% P-pinene (22) and about 50% a-pinene (44). European and East Indian turpentines are rich in a-pinene (44) withHtfle P-pinene (22), and thus are exceUent raw materials... 

Orienta.lFa.mily. In these perfumes, a mossy, woody, and spicy accord combines with the sweetness of vanilla or balsam and is accented with animal notes such as amber, civet, and musk. The most important floral accords used are rose and jasmine. 

Oriental Family. Sweet, balsamic notes are typical for this group. 

Supergrasse tufted polypropylene fabrics Balsam Pacific Austraha... 

---