Musk Ketone

Synthetic Ingredient for Perfumery

• 🔎 Chemical name — 1-(4-tert-butyl-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dinitrophenyl)ethan-1-one

• 📂 CAS N° — 81-14-1

• ⚖️ MW — 294.30 g/mol

• 📝 Odor type — Nitro Musk

• 📈 Odor Strength — High

• 👃🏼 Odor Profile — Highly tenacious musky odor with a discreet animal note, distinguishable from Musk Ambrette by its less floral essence. Notably, its characteristic warm and mildly animal note defines its olfactory profile.

• ⚗️ Uses — Its versatility is evident in its application as part of the fixative complex for various fragrance types, contributing notably to the creation of a desirable “powdery” note when combined with Methylionones, Cinnamic alcohol, Benzylsalicylate, and similar components. Concentrations in fragrance formulations can range from 1% to over 10%, depending on the desired effect.

Musk Ketone

characterized by its pale yellowish platelets or crystalline powder at a melting point of 137°C, exhibits a sweet and highly tenacious musky odor with a discreet animal note, distinguishable from Musk Ambrette by its less floral essence. Notably, its characteristic warm and mildly animal note defines its olfactory profile.

In terms of taste, Musk Ketone presents a sweet and mildly musky flavor in concentrations below 40 ppm. Noteworthy is its reduced tendency to produce a bitter note compared to Musk Ambrette. Despite its prevalent use in perfumery, it is crucial to highlight that Musk Ketone is not listed as Generally Recognized as Safe (G.R.A.S.) by the American Federal Register.

A staple in the world of artificial musks, Musk Ketone, alongside Ambrette and Xylol, is extensively utilized in perfume compositions.

Musk Ketone’s unique properties include discoloration under daylight, although its impact on soap coloration remains minimal at reasonable use levels. Additionally, it forms adducts with Anthranilates and may exhibit discoloration in the presence of Indole or other perfumery amines.

Beyond perfumery, Musk Ketone finds application in flavor compositions, particularly in chewing gums and various types of candy. Its role extends as a fixative and sweetener, with concentrations in finished products ranging from 20 to 45 ppm. It’s important to note that, while Musk Ketone is acknowledged in the “Chemicals Used in Food Processing” by the National Research Council, it is not currently listed as G.R.A.S. in the latest summaries of the F.E.M.A. or the Federal Register.

Production-wise, Musk Ketone is derived from tertiary-Butylxylene through a process involving Acetylation followed by Nitration.