﻿SYNTHETIC 
  PERFUMES 
  EEDGROVE 
  255 
  

  

  Synthetic 
  perfumes 
  have 
  been 
  criticized 
  as 
  having 
  "coarse" 
  

   odors. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  appreciated 
  that 
  this 
  coarseness 
  may 
  arise, 
  not 
  

   because 
  of 
  any 
  positive 
  property 
  of 
  the 
  preparation, 
  but 
  because 
  it 
  

   lacks 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  essential 
  "impurities." 
  This 
  explains 
  why 
  the 
  

   growth 
  of 
  the 
  synthetic 
  perfume 
  industry 
  has 
  not 
  killed 
  the 
  natural 
  

   perfume 
  industry. 
  Indeed, 
  the 
  effect 
  has 
  been 
  quite 
  the 
  opposite, 
  and 
  

   the 
  two 
  industries 
  are 
  closely 
  linked 
  together. 
  Chemical 
  research 
  

   has 
  enabled 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  substances 
  which 
  are 
  responsible 
  for 
  the 
  sweet 
  

   odors 
  of 
  flowers 
  to 
  be 
  produced 
  at 
  a 
  relatively 
  low 
  cost 
  by 
  synthetic 
  

   means. 
  Perfect 
  perfumes, 
  however, 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  made 
  with 
  synthetic 
  

   materials 
  alone; 
  to 
  produce 
  quite 
  satisfactory 
  results 
  a 
  proportion 
  of 
  

   the 
  necessary 
  "impurities" 
  must 
  be 
  introduced 
  by 
  mixing 
  with 
  the 
  

   artificial 
  product 
  a 
  small 
  amount 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  one. 
  The 
  consequent 
  

   cheapening 
  in 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  perfumes 
  has 
  resulted 
  in 
  a 
  big 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  

   demand 
  for 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  benefit 
  of 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  perfume 
  industry. 
  

  

  Some 
  analogies 
  can 
  be 
  drawn 
  between 
  the 
  aniline 
  dye 
  industrj'- 
  and 
  

   that 
  of 
  synthetic 
  perfumes. 
  We 
  must 
  not, 
  however, 
  fall 
  into 
  the 
  

   error 
  of 
  the 
  man 
  in 
  the 
  street, 
  who 
  seems 
  to 
  imagine 
  that 
  every 
  

   chemical 
  product 
  comes 
  from 
  coal-tar. 
  Certainly 
  many 
  synthetic 
  

   perfume 
  materials 
  do, 
  though 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  are 
  made 
  

   from 
  raw 
  products 
  of 
  a 
  quite 
  different 
  nature. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  connection 
  the 
  question 
  arises. 
  Where 
  is 
  the 
  line 
  to 
  be 
  drawn 
  

   between 
  a 
  natural 
  product 
  and 
  an 
  artificial 
  one? 
  Essential 
  oils 
  

   obtained 
  from 
  plants 
  by 
  steam 
  distillation 
  are 
  classed 
  as 
  natural 
  

   products; 
  but 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  rash 
  to 
  assume 
  that 
  no 
  chemical 
  changes 
  

   whatever 
  take 
  place 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  this 
  operation. 
  In 
  the 
  case, 
  for 
  

   example, 
  of 
  bitter 
  almonds, 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  laiown 
  that 
  the 
  essential 
  oil 
  is 
  

   present 
  in 
  the 
  kernels 
  of 
  the 
  nuts, 
  not 
  as 
  such, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  

   glucosice, 
  amygdalin, 
  which 
  has 
  first 
  to 
  be 
  decomposed, 
  the 
  agent 
  for 
  

   effecting 
  this 
  decomposition, 
  emulsin, 
  being 
  also 
  provided 
  by 
  the 
  

   kernels 
  

  

  It 
  sfems 
  reasonable, 
  however, 
  to 
  class 
  the 
  products 
  of 
  such 
  opera- 
  

   tions 
  IS 
  steam 
  distillation, 
  and 
  extraction 
  with 
  fats 
  (enfleurage) 
  or 
  

   with 
  leutral 
  solvents 
  hke 
  petroleum 
  ether, 
  as 
  essentially 
  "natural 
  

   products," 
  those 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  two 
  latter 
  processes 
  having 
  indeed 
  

   specia 
  claims 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  considered, 
  as 
  their 
  odors 
  exactly 
  represent 
  

   those 
  3f 
  the 
  flowers 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  derived. 
  

  

  By 
  means 
  of 
  fractional 
  distillation 
  and, 
  in 
  some 
  cases, 
  by 
  faking 
  

   advaitage 
  of 
  the 
  property 
  possessed 
  by 
  aldehydes 
  of 
  forming 
  crystal- 
  

   line 
  ompounds 
  with 
  sodium 
  bi-sulphite, 
  certain 
  of 
  the 
  constituents 
  of 
  

   essenial 
  oils 
  can 
  be 
  isolated 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  purity. 
  Such 
  products, 
  

   usualy 
  called 
  "natural 
  isolates," 
  are, 
  of 
  course, 
  in 
  no 
  sense 
  "syn- 
  

   theti'"; 
  but 
  they 
  may 
  very 
  well 
  be 
  classed 
  with 
  the 
  substances 
  of 
  

   syntletic 
  origin 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  "pure." 
  The 
  oils 
  distilled 
  from 
  

   certan 
  species 
  of 
  grasses 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  genus 
  Cymbopogon 
  are 
  

  

  