TAGS: Perfumes & Fragrances
The scientists at the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis in Rostock, Germany have developed a new process to synthesize Ambrocenide® more efficiently in the future than before. Ambrocenide® imparts woody-amber base notes to perfume and the new process was developed in collaboration with Symrise AG.
Ambrocenide® - Intense & Long-lasting Scent
The findings are advancing not only industry but also research itself, in the area of "functionalization of terpenes," as explained by Dr. Thomas Werner, group leader, Organocatalysis, Leibniz Institute for Catalysis.
Terpenes form a widespread class of natural substances. In addition to cedrene, which is the starting material for Ambrocenide®, they include menthol and steroids. The latter are components of numerous medicines, for example with anti-inflammatory effects. Chemists can give these compounds special properties by adding "functional groups. This is being researched worldwide.
Terpenes are usually extracted from plants, for example, but also from animal secretions. The woody, ambery notes in perfume were once produced from ambergris, a substance from the digestive tract of sperm whales, difficult to obtain and expensive. The synthesized Ambrocenide® comes close to ambergris with an intense, long-lasting scent. The starting material for the synthesis is a substance from the essential oil of cedars: Cedrene.
New Process Reduces Number of Reaction Steps
The chemical conversion of cedrene to Ambrocenide® conventionally proceeds in three stages. However, as is often the case in chemical reactions, the result is also other molecules of this product that lack this fragrance. These molecules have the same molecular formula even the atoms are linked in the same way but in a different spatial arrangement.
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The industry partner wanted above all a selective reaction here, with which we could exclude the unusable variety from the outset," said Werner. The new process developed jointly with Symrise AG is highly selective, reduces the number of reaction steps required and has a higher yield than the original process.
Source: Leibniz Institute for Catalysis