The Chemistry of Perfume. The use of perfumes goes back thousands of years. Historically, perfumes were composed of natural ingredients, mainly essential oils. Since the end of the 19th century, synthetic organic chemistry has provided perfumers with ingredients that are cheaper and more stable than many natural materials. The development of new synthetic chemicals has typically come from the analysis of natural sources-plants (such as lavender, jasmine, and rose), fruits, and animals. The molecules shown are just a few of the more than 3000 natural and synthetic fragrance ingredients available to perfumers to create a perfume. To find out how "Chemistry Perfumes Your Daily Life", see the article by Anne-Dominique Fortineau; the featured molecules are also described.
Images of the flowers and perfume bottle provided by Anne-Dominique Fortineau.
Molecular models generated by William F. Coleman.
The cover was designed by Betsy True.
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