Perfume

:For the book "Perfume" by Patrick Süskind, see Perfume (book).

Obtaining odorants

Before perfumes can be composed, the odorants used in various perfume compositions must first be obtained. Synthetic odorants are produced through organic synthesis and purified. Odorants from natural sources require the use of various methods to extract the aromatics from the raw materials. The results of the extraction are either essential oils, absolutes, concretes, or butters, depending on the amount of waxes in the extracted product.

Related Topics:
Organic synthesis - Wax

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• Distillation: A common technique for obtaining aromatic compounds from flowers, plants, and grasses, such as orange blossoms and roses. The raw material is placed in a distillation still with water and heated until the fragrant compounds are driven from the material and re-collected through condensation of the distilled vapour. The water used in distillation, which retains some of the fragrant compounds and oils from the raw material is called hydrosol.
• Maceration/Solvent extraction: The most commonly used and economically important technique for extracting aromatics in the modern perfume industry. Raw materials are submerged in a solvent that can dissolve the desired aromatic compounds. Maceration lasts anywhere from hours to months. Fragrant compounds for woody and fibrous plant materials are often obtained in this matter as are all aromatics from animal sources. The technique can also be used to extract odorants that are too volatile for distillation or easily denatured by heat. Commonly used solvents for maceration/solvent extraction include ethanol, hexane, and dimethyl ether.
• Expression: Raw material is squeezed or compressed and the oils are collected. Of all raw materials, only the fragrant oils from the peels of fruits in the citrus family are extracted in this manner since the oil is present in large enough quantities as to make this extraction method economically feasible.
• Enfleurage: Absorption of aroma materials into wax and then extracting the odorous oil with alcohol. Extraction by enfleurage was commonly used when distillation was not possible due to the fact that some fragrant compounds denature through high heat. This technique is not commonly used in the present day industry due to its prohibitive cost and the existence of more efficient and effective extraction methods.