Acetaldehyde

Other comments :

Stability :

Acetaldehyde is very unstable in various functional bases, bu is used is low quantity. Also able to react with molecules containing nitrogen as Methyl Anthranilate or Indol to form Schiff bases.

Uses in perfumery :

Acetaldehyde is used in perfumery to bring a juicy note to fruity accords, more often for exotic fruits.

Year of discovery :

Data not available.

Isomerism :

Acetaldehyde does not have any isomer used in perfumery.

Synthesis precursor :

Acetaldehyde is used in the manufacture of several synthetic compounds such as Damascone-Alpha® or Bourgeonal™, where it is used for aldol condensation. It is also used in acetalization reactions, such as for the synthesis of Hyacinth Body®. It can also be used for the synthesis of Cinnamic Aldehyde, by condensation with Benzaldehyde. It is used in many other syntheses.

Natural availability :

Acetaldehyde is present in the odorous principle of many fruits, many liquors, and can be extracted from certain essential oils such as Litsea Cubeba EO, Magnolia Flower EO, Rosemary EO and many others, in which it is present in very small quantities.

Synthesis route :

Acetaldehyde can be synthesized in several ways: the first one is by oxidation of Ethanol with potassium dichromate, in the presence of concentrated sulphuric acid as a catalyst. The second method is by adding water to acetylene. A final synthesis route is hemisynthetic, by fermentation of a plant, then recovery by fractional distillation, and purification by amination, followed by the addition of diluted sulfuric acid.