[NaturalPerfumery] Bad news Natural fixative?

[Guest guest]

A a big thanks to the perfume chemist who replied to me privately. We

natural perfumers got a bit excited about this, the way y'all are always

dreaming of a natural preservative (and when I start producing lotions and

whatnot, I'll have to use the synth stuff.) Bad news, folks, the company

and the lady touting the Glucan as " natural " are just foolin':

 

Here's what my buddy said..

 

Hi Anya,

This fixative may have interesting properties, but it's not natural. If

it is derived from glucose, then I suppose it isn't a petrochemical

(derived from crude oil), although some of the chemicals used to produce it

may be derived from oil. But for a compound to be considered natural in

perfumery would mean that it is extracted from a botanical material without

any chemical reaction. However, there are at least two chemical reaction

steps to make this compound which indicates it must be classified as a

synthetic chemical. This is not even a " natural-identical " product since

nothing like it appears in nature.

 

The patent for this compound is here: http://xrint.com/patents/us/4264478

 

Here is the process by which it is made. This is definitely synthetic

chemistry.

 

 

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The methyl glucoside polyols used in accordance with the present invention

can be derived from glucose. In a first step, methyl glucoside is prepared

from glucose in accordance with the following generalized reaction scheme:

##STR1## The mixture of alpha and beta methyl glucoside shown in the above

reaction is generally in a ratio of about 2:1. The molecule has the

pyranoside form (ring consisting of 5 carbons and 1 oxygen) and is

classified as a cyclic or " internal " full acetal. Methyl glucoside has four

hydroxyl groups which are available for reaction to form various

derivatives. The reaction is favored to take place on the primary hydroxyl

(#6 carbon) with the hydroxyl group adjacent to the methoxy group (#2

carbon) being the next most reactive. The stability of the ring structure

and the reactivity of the hydroxyl groups allow for the preparation of

various derivatives without the formation of degradation products that

would be expected to form if glucose were subjected to the same reactions.

 

Methyl glucoside can be reacted with alkylene oxides to produce methyl

glucoside polyols. A typical method used, is to react the aklylene oxide

with methyl glucoside in the presence of an alkaline catalyst (such as

potassium hydroxide) at a temperature of 140.degree.-160.degree. C. Since

the alkylene oxide generally has a boiling point below the reaction

temperature, a sealed vessel is used and the reaction is carried out at

elevated pressure. The reaction is favored to take place on the primary

hydroxyl (#6 carbon) with the hydroxyl group adjacent to the methoxy group

(#2 carbon) being the next most reactive, as stated above. After the

reaction is complete, the akaline catalyst is neutralized with an acid.

 

 

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