Re: Ambroxan synthesis

April 8, 2006

> ....

> Naphthofuran (the main scent molecule) is prepared from sclareol, a

> diterpene found in clary sage. clary sage oil is used in perfumery and

> sclareol is extracted from the distillation residues. Degradation of

> sclareol using permanganate gives the lactone sclareolide. Reduction

> of the lactone with lithium aluminium hydride, borane or some similar

> reagent gives a diol which can by cyclized to the furan. This is known

> commercially under tradenames such as Amberlyn, Ambrox and Ambroxan.

>

> So this is how Ambroxan is produced commercially these days. The book

> was published in 1999.

>

> -linda

> The Perfumer's Apprentice

Hi ,

Thanks for doing the research! According to the description that you

found sclareol is isolated from Clary Sage following distillation of

the plant material. Then the final product is synthesized from the

isolate through a series of chemical reactions. The end product is

synthetic.

If these types of chemicals were natural, then there would be no

synthetic chemicals. Because the starting point for every synthetic

molecule is a natural material of some sort. Has to be - in nature

there are no synthetic materials. And chemist have to start with

something to make something.

In other words to say " derived from natural sources " means nothing.

Everything is derived from a natural source. However, the statement

of " derived from natural sources " can (in my opinion) be used for

isolates and the like, where the original chemical is not changed

through chemical reactions to something else.

Lots of synthetic molecules are derived from essential oils.

Essential oils are a great place for chemist to find chemicals to

start their chemical reactions with to synthesize new chemicals. Some

very well known chemicals are derived from essential oils as a

starting point - like MDMA (ecstacy).

BTW, now we know why some people suggest using Clary Sage in Amber

formulas.

Will

Eden Botanicals

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