Essential oil composition
Merck Index . Ambergris is composed of only a few characteristic chemical components, chiefly ambrein and epicoprosterol, as well as other steroids and their products, ketones , free and esterified acids , and porphyrins. The odour of ambergris is probably due to oxidation products of ambrein ; its quality depends on the amounts of ambrein and epicoprosterol and their ratio . After separation of ambrein, volatile products have been isolated including dihydro-γ-ionone , an oxide, C13H220,a hydroxyaldehyde, C17H30O2 , and a ketone, C13H20O , and y-cyclohomogeraniol, which is the chief component of the volatile non-ketonic fraction
