Synthesis of a spirocyclic seco structure of the principal vetiver odorant khusimone
Friday, December 7, 2012 - 09:30
in Biology & Nature
Approximately one third of all fragrances on the market contain vetiver oil as a key ingredient, for which no synthetic odorant is commercially available. Instead it has to be distilled from the dried roots of vetiver grass. To find out about the structural requirements of vetiver odorants, researchers in Switzerland devised a synthesis to a 7,8-seco-khusimone, which still contained all the structural features held responsible for the vetiver odour. As they report in the European Journal of Organic Chemistry, however, the final product displayed none of the expected olfactory characteristics, thus proving the vetiver rule wrong.