Month: September 2022

THIS ENDS this weekend's fragment in nature, in plant olfaction, to be continued on the next few weekends. View in LinkedIn

SPANISH. I am learning Spanish. As a new word goes in, an old one leaves (the filing cabinet is full). My grammar is a mess. One day I risk loosing my British passport. View in LinkedIn

CHIRAL SCENTS continues this week, where molecules that are identical except for handedness may have entirely different biological properties including smell. These may be called Looking Glass scents, after Alice. View in LinkedIn

MENTHOL has 8 stereoisomers or 4 enantiomeric pairs; only the (-) enantiomer has the clean minty odor. https://lnkd.in/e9NBUvg View in LinkedIn

SANDALWOOD (santalol) is an isomer, but only the (-) form gives the well-known sandalwood scent. View in LinkedIn

WINE SPECTATOR QUOTE from many years ago which I cut out and framed: "...with a hint of cat's piss." View in LinkedIn

JASMINE SMELLS are from methyl dihydrojasmonate (hedione), but only in one chiral form has the intense floral odor. This becomes important when we return to plant olfaction next weekend. https://lnkd.in/e9NBUvg View in LinkedIn

AMBERGRIS (ambra) is the musty scent derived from the digestive tract of the sperm whale, and only the (-) form is prized. https://lnkd.in/e9NBUvg View in LinkedIn

LANGUAGE OF SNIFFERS. Rose oxide isomers differ in smell: "1. Floral-green, clean, rose, green, strong; 2. Floral-green, green, herbal, minty, fruity; 3. Herbal-green-floral, smell of hay, green, earthy; 4. Herbal-green-floral, fruity, herbal rose, citrus (bitter rind)." https://lnkd.in/eMTZmZF View in LinkedIn

CHIRAL MOLECULES are responsible for the characteristic smells are also part of the synthetic chemistry of terpen-4-ol, linalool, tea tree oil, lavender oil, lemon oil and many other essential oils. https://lnkd.in/ecJcdBW View in LinkedIn