Ambretone

Ambretone is a 16-membered macrocyclic ketone musk, chemically (5Z)-cyclohexadec-5-en-1-one (CAS 37609-25-9, C₁₆H₂₈O, MW 236.39). It belongs to a small family of unsaturated macrocyclic ketone musks alongside muscenone and cosmone, but occupies a distinct olfactory niche: sweeter, more powdery, and closer to the vanished nitro-musks than any polycyclic alternative. Where muscenone reads dry and animalic, ambretone adds a velvety, almost textile quality — the memory of musk ambrette without the neurotoxicity.

The synthesis proceeds from cyclododecanone: chlorination gives 2-chlorocyclododecanone, which reacts with two equivalents of vinyl magnesium chloride to yield 1,2-divinylcyclododecan-1-ol, then undergoes an oxy-Cope rearrangement to produce the 16-membered ring. The commercial product is a mixture of Z and E isomers. Physical properties: density 0.93, boiling point 296–300°C at atmospheric pressure (120°C at 1 mmHg), flash point 166°C, refractive index 1.487–1.491.

In formulation, ambretone functions primarily as a fixative and volume builder. Typical dosage in fine fragrance runs 0.1–5%. It excels in floral-musky accords, skin-scent compositions, and any formula that requires a soft, persistent radiance without the metallic edge of Galaxolide or the laundry-clean character of Habanolide. It bridges well between amber bases and white florals, lending body to jasmine and tuberose accords. Its high logP (calculated ~6.5) ensures strong substantivity on fabric and skin.

Australian industrial chemical assessments have classified ambretone as potentially bioaccumulative (calculated BCF above 2000 L/kg), though OECD 301F testing showed 86% mineralisation within 28 days, meeting the ready biodegradability threshold. IFRA does not currently restrict its use.

This note in PREMIEREPEAU. Doppel Dancers. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Related: Aldron · Ambrette Musk Mallow · Ambrettolide Natural Musk · Ambrinol · Coral Reef · Cyclopentadecanolide · Exaltolide · Galaxolide