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Writer's pictureDanae

Volatility (Science of Perfume Part 2)

Perfumes are made of alcohol, usually ethanol (C2H5OH), since it has no scent and essences, which is the scented component of the perfume. Essences are essential oils extracted from various plants or from animal products and there are usually multiple essences that compose a fragrance. Our perception of smell depends on the molecular weight of the smell molecules in the essences, which usually do not exceed 260AMU (atomic mass units). This is why humans cannot smell carbon monoxide (CO), for example. (World of Chemicals, 2017) The molecular weight and volatility of compounds, which is how a substance vaporizes, also affects the duration of a scent. For example, when lavender essence and vanilla essence are compared, the lavender scent will disappear much sooner than the vanilla because lavender scent molecules are lighter than those of vanilla, resulting in the lavender scent molecules to vaporize faster. (Science Buddies, 2020)


Sources:

World of Chemicals. (2017, December 12). What is the chemistry of perfume? World of chemicals. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.worldofchemicals.com/611/chemistry-articles/what-is-the-chemistry-of-a-perfume.html

Science Buddies. (2020, November 20). Scintillating Scents: The Science of Making Perfume. Science buddies. Retrieved April 11, 2021, from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Chem_p083/chemistry/science-of-making-perfume#background


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