Chemistry of perfumes

In addition, vanillin was among the three or four aroma chemicals that helped perfumers of the past to imagine a new generation of fragrance combinations. The work done in organic chemistry by chemical companies has helped perfumers who had been restrained in their creation by the avadabihty of raw materials, which include natural oils and extracts made by the enfleurage process, ie, the property of perfumes to stick on fat and greases. Those extracts were weak, flat, and unpleasant. 

R. Mondello, G. Dugo, P. Dugo and K. Baitle, On-line HPRC-HRGC in the analytical chemistry of citms essential oils . Perfumer Flavorist 21 25-49 (1996). 

The compounds of carbon furnish one of the most intriguing aspects of all of chemistry. One reason they interest us is that they play a dominant role in the chemistry of living things, both plant and animal. Another reason is that there are innumerable carbon compounds useful to man—dyes, drugs, detergents, plastics, perfumes, fibers, fabrics, flavors, fuels—many of them tailored to suit particular needs. Manufacture of... 

The Chemistry of Fragrances, by D. H. Pybus and C. S. Sell, Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, 1999, contains all the amateur needs to know on the subject. Additionally, the site http //www.eau-de-cologne.com (in German) describes the history of the perfume, and the site http //www.farinal709.com contains additional information for the interested novice. 

Linalool is one of the most widely used fragrant substances in cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry (as a composite of many cosmetics and perfumes and as an intermediate in synthesis of vitamins (A, E)) (1). But natural resources can t supply the growing needs, so the necessity in synthetic LN has been increasing. Therefore the reaction of selective catalytic hydrogenation of DHL to LN is one of the most significant reactions in the chemistry of fragrant substances (2), and the main problem of this research is the development of modern catalytic technology for preparation of linalool. 

Figure 10.11 Comparison of the mass spectra of a neroli oil peak (camphene) obtained by HPLC-HRGC-MS (a) and GC-MS (b) with a library spectrum of the same compound (c). Reprinted from Perfumer and Flavorist, 21, L. Mondello et al., On-line HPLC-HRGC in the analytical chemistry of citrus essential oils , pp. 25-49, 1996, with permission from Allured Publishing Corp.

The synthesis of Vertofix (acetyl cedrene) from cedarwood in the early 1960s marked a major step forward in perfumery chemistry, providing perfumers with a fine woody material at a reasonable price, which could be used not only to replace the very much more expensive vetiver derivatives but also had an excellent performance in many functional products such as soaps and shampoos. It is interesting also to find in Fidji a small amount of PTBCHA (Vertenex), another relatively new material at that time, and one more frequently associated with functional products. Here it acts as a link between the woody notes and the fresh green top note. 

The majority of the reactions leading to perfume instability are known and understood. Hence the degree of stability of a given perfume in a given medium is, in theory, predictable. In practice, however, a great deal of hard-to-foresee factors may intervene due to the chemical and physical complexity of perfumes and of product bases. Therefore consideration of the chemistry involved is helpful in pinpointing likely... 

Baslas, K.K. (1 967) Chemistry of Indian Oils Part II. Perfumer and Essential Oil Review 622-628. 

D. H. Pybus, The History of Aroma Chemistry and Perfume. In The Chemistry of Fragrances From Perfumer to Consumer, 2nd ed. C. Sell, Ed. The Royal Society of Chemistry Cambridge, 2006 pp 3-23. 

The chemistry of dissatisfaction is as the chemistry of some marvelously potent tar. In it are the building stones of explosives, stimulants, poisons, opiates, perfumes and stenches. 

For a review of the chemistry of limonene, see Verghese, J Perfum Essent Oil Rec 1968,... 

Otto, M. Verley, A. Manufacture of Vanillin 1896 US 553,593 Parry, E., J, The Chemistry of Essential Oils and Artificial Perfumes Vol 2 (1922) Safrol page 265... 

In addition to these texts, a number of older sources are still of value—particularly the Essential oils of Finnemore (15) and Parry s Chemistry of the Essential Oils and Artificial Perfumes (22). And among much older works, the treatises of Charabot (11, 12), Semmler (25), Wagner (22), and Wallach (24) are to be recommended, not alone for historical interest, but for their excellent bibliographies, which frequently note sources difficult to find elsewhere. 

Fragrance is mysterious, ethereal and elusive. Yet it is rooted solidly in the physical world and can therefore be examined scientifically. The chemistry behind fragrance is complex and fascinating. How do you build fragrance molecules to withstand heat and water and to emerge from the wash cycle firmly affixed to clothes, not washed away as the machine drains itself, and so convey messages of perfumed reassurance to the wearer Perhaps this book will help to explain. 

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