Patchouli camphor

This sesquiterpene has not been found naturally. It is formed by the dehydration of the so-called patchouli camphor, a sesquiterpene alcohol, CjjHjgO, found in oil of patchouli. It has the following characters —... 

Cadinene owes its name to its occuiTence in considerable quantity in oil of cade—which, of course, is not a true essential oil, but the product of destructive distillation. It is found in numerous essential oils, including those of patchouli, savin, galbanum, camphor, cedar wood. West Indian santal, juniper, and many others. Cadinene is best prepared as follows —... 

A useful synthesis (ref.ll)of patchouli alcohol, an important fragrant constituent of patchouli oil, from (+)-camphor, that onetime important natural product which was employed as a plasticiser for nitrocellulose (itself a semi-synthetic polymer), was complicated by structural revision of the sesquiterpene alcohol. Dihydrocarvone (14) obtained by saturation of the ring double bond in carvone, a major constituent of oil of spearmint has been employed for two very different sesquiterpenes, the ketone campherenone (15) and the alcohol, occidentalol (16). In the first case an enol acetate was converted to a bicyclic intermediate by earlier established methodology and the route emulated a plausible biogenetic sequence giving racemic campherenone (ref.12) as shown. Any chirality in (14) is apparently lost. 

Patchouli olL Reddish-brown to brown, viscous oil with a typical woody, camphor-like earthy, balsamy sweet odor. 

S)-(+)-Carvone produces the typical odor and taste of caraway, whereas its (R)-(-)-enantiomer in the oil of spearmint from Mentha spicata (Labiatae), in contrast, smells like peppermint (p. 18). (-)-Patehoulol (also referred to as patehoulialeohol p. 40) smells intensely woody and earthy with a touch of camphor, similar to the natural oil of Patchouli used in perfumery, while the weak odor of the synthetically produced (+)-enantiomer is quite untypical. 

ISO standard 3757 shows character and data for this oU. This very complex oil is adulterated by gurjun balm oil (see text). Blending is done by patchouli terpenes, cedarwood oil, pepper oil, white camphor oil, and guaiac wood oil. Detection is done by GC MS. 

Patchouli oil is adulterated to a certain extent with the oU from other leaves which are fraudulently packed with patchouli leaves, such as basil leaves and the leaves of a Malayan plant, known as purpulut (Urena lobata). The leaves of Hyptis suaveoUns are also used as an adulterant. Sassafras (or heavy camphor oil) is sometimes found as an adulterant, as well as cubeb oil, cedar-wood oil, and —rarely— petroleum. 

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