Perfumes have changed from a luxury product to a commodity product. They have become an essential part of people’s lives by representing people’s characters and sending certain messages.
Obtaining synthetic fragrances has developed the perfume industry dramatically and has made it possible for more people to enjoy beautiful and diverse scents.
Benzyl Acetate is one of thousands of esters that can be used for perfume ingredients. It is an extremely significant compound because it provides a basic odor that can be found in many of the perfumes and other cosmetic products.
Since benzyl acetate makes up 40% of the picked jasmine flower, it is widely used in synthetic perfumery. It imparts fruit flavors like those of banana, strawberry, pear and apple and is thus used in the flavoring industry.
Benzyl acetate plays role as a chemical intermediate for the production of other organic compounds. It also acts as a solvent to resins, plastic, polishes, and ink.
The use of benzyl acetate in the US for a year amounts to 1 million kg. There are 33 industrial suppliers of the compound and 75 worldwide.
Benzyl acetate is a primary constituent of the essential oils from the flowers jasmine and ylang-ylang. Therefore, it is widely used in perfumery and cosmetics for its aroma and in flavorings to stimulate apple, banana, strawberry, and pear flavors.
In a process not industrially conducted, benzyl acetate is produced by reaction of toluene, acetic acid, and oxygen in the presence of a catalyst.
Acute Health Effects: mild to moderate irritation of skin, eyes, and lungs.
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Molecules of the fragrance attack the olfactory system, located in the area above the human nose. They attach t receptors, which transmit the signal to the brain via neurons.
Perfumes consist of three layers, or “notes”:
Top: most volatile, initial smell
Heart: main aroma of the perfume, some volatility, stays for several hours
Base: least volatile, stays for most of the day
Basic ingredients:
80%-90%: ethyl alcohol
essential oils from plants
fruit flavors
Nowadays perfumes consist of 500-600 chemical substances.
Only 5% of today’s perfumes are derived from natural compounds.
Methods for production: expression, distillation, solvent extraction
Carbon is the most versatile element on the planet. It can bond with itself and just about every other atom known to humans. Through these special properties, Carbon has the ability to create amazing structures like the Carbon Nanotube.
Nanotechnology is leading the way to the future. From their discovery in 1991 to current research today, carbon nanotubes present a bright future for electricity, cancer and disease treatment, and clothing development among countless other things. Dreams that only existed in science fiction may soon become reality.
Carbon nanotubes were thought to have been discovered in 1991 by an NEC employee, Sumio Iijima. New findings reveal, however, that two Soviet scientists were the first to observe a hollow nanometer carbon tube in 1952. Radushkevich and Lukyanovich’s discovery was largely unknown to American scientists because of little communication out of the USSR.
Before they came to be known as carbon nanotubes, American scientists observed hollow tubes of rolled up graphite sheets in 1976. The first specimens observed would later come to be known as single walled nanotubes (SWNTs) because they are simply one layer of graphite.
After Iijima formally introduced the scientific community to carbon nanotubes in 1991, the discovery of multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs) followed. MWNTs are simply several layers of graphite which are then rolled into a cylinder. The layers of graphite form concentric circles if the tube were to be viewed from either end.
SWNTs have proved to be the focus of scientists’ research and thus the following topics all refer to SWNTs except where noted.
The structure of carbon nanotubes is strikingly similar to that of diamond, fullerene, and graphite. In fact, carbon nanotubes are simply graphite sheets rolled up into a cylindrical shape as seen below.
Carbon nanotubes are allotropic, meaning that they are a hexagonal network of carbon atoms bonded together.
All the bonds between carbon atoms are sp2 hybridized (similar to diamond). This special characteristic gives the nanotube incredible strength for its minuscule size.
Carbon nanotubes were discovered to be 20 times stronger than steel, 17 times stronger than kevlar, and 4 times stronger than spider silk.
Carbon nanotubes have few length limitations. Scientists have synthesized long carbon nanotubes and combined them with strands of fiber to create the possibility for clothes with incredible properties.
Scientists have combined carbon nanotubes with polyvinyl alcohol and produced strands with a diameter comparable to human hair with an overall length of 100 to 200 meters.
The most common method for “growing” nanotubes is called chemical vapor deposition or CVD.
This method is the most practical for manufacturing nanotubes with a usable length.
Carbon nanotubes have incredible strength. By putting on a piece of clothing with woven carbon nanotubes, one is putting on a garment with 17 times the strength of modern bulletproof vests made of kevlar.
Technologies not far off include explosion proof blankets and military apparel with built in high power batteries, sensors, and radio antennas.
compound because it provides a basic odor that can be found in many of the perfumes and other cosmetic products.
