Chemical Properties
1-(1,3,4,4a,5,6,7-hexahydro-2,5,5-trimethyl-2H-2,4a-ethanonaphthalen-8-yl)ethan-1-one is a long-lasting woody fragrance that is prepared by
acetylation of cedarwood oil fractions that contain sesquiterpene hydrocarbons,mainly ??-cedrene and thujopsene. Acetylation is carried out in the presence
of an acidic catalyst (e.g., polyphosphoric acid). Commercially available cedryl
methyl ketone is a multicomponent mixture. The main component is cedryl
methyl ketone, which results from the acetylation of ??-cedrene. The
odor-determining constituent is the so-called isomer G with a content of 5–10%,
which is formed by acetylation from thujopsene after rearrangement.
