Thames & Kosmos Perfume Science handleiding

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CAPTURING FRAGRANCES

WITH STEAM

The steam distillation process was

developed in Persia and Arabia in the

Middle Ages. This process is used to extract

precious oils from plants with the help of

super heated steam. The hot steam opens

the plant cells. The oils are released and are

carried away from the plants by the steam.

The steam cools into water, and the oils are

simply separated from the water.

EXTRACTING WITH LIQUIDS

A method that is still used almost

everywhere for fragrance extraction is

called solvent extraction (Latin, extrahere

= extract). This process was developed

about 200 years ago. Fresh plant parts

are ground up and covered with a warm

solvent that evaporates easily. This is

repeated until the remaining liquid is

totally saturated with ethereal oils from

the plants. After, the solvent is totally

evaporated from the extract. This process

can be performed at modest temperatures

because the solvent is easily evaporated.

This makes the method very gentle.

The leftover extract of this process is

a wax-like substance, because wax and

color are also extracted from the plants in

addition to the fragrances. This substance

is also called concréte. After the wax is

removed with some additional processing,

the purest version of the fragrance will

appear. This is again called absolue.

The solvents used in this process

must be pure so that they can evaporate

without any residue. Additionally, they

must not change the nature of the fragrant

substances. Long ago, benzene was

often used as the solvent. Today, alkenes

(like butane or hexane) or alcohols (like

methanol, ethanol, or toluene) are used.

> Materials from the kit: Finalio, 2

measuring cups with lids, stirrers, funnel,

pipette, cotton pad, labels.

> Additional materials: lavender

flowers from the florist or craft store, 2

air tight closed old jelly jars, water, coffee

filter, pencil

Experiment

1. Put one measuring cup of lavender

flowers into a jelly jar.

2. Add 10 ml (2 teaspoons) of Finalio and

30 ml (1/8 cup) water.

3. Stir well, and cover the jar with the lid

and let it steep in a cool place.

4. After about one week, open the jar

and check the fragrance. If it is too light,

exchange the used flowers with new ones

and let it all stand for one more week.

5. Fold a circular piece of filter paper to

form a cone and put it in the funnel.

6. Pour the liquid slowly through the

funnel into the second clean jelly jar.

7. Alternatively, you can decant the

extract into another jar.

8. Add another measuring cup of new

flowers to it, stir and close the glass.

9. When you are satisfied with the

fragrance, pour the mixture carefully

through a filter into a clean measuring cup

and close it tight with the lid.

10. Label the measuring cup.

11. With the help of the pipette, drip

some of your lavender extract onto the

cotton pad. The cotton pad will gradually

release the pleasant lavender fragrance.

> Why does this happen? Finalio will

slowly dissolve the fragrant oils from the

flowers because it contains an alcohol

called ethanol. Due to its chemical structure

ethanol can dissolve grease compounds, or

oils. In chemistry, this procedure is called

extraction. By repeating the extraction

process several times, the solvent (in this

case Finalio) becomes more and more

full of fragrant oils, until it finally cannot

absorb any more. This is called a saturated

solution.

If you wait long enough,

the Finalio-water

mixture will evaporate

slowly by itself, similar

to how it is done with

the technical help of

alcohol in professional

manufacturing. All that

will remain is the clean

fragrant oil.

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