Perfume

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** Perfume **
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** by Elizabeth Loera and Amanda Hatrick **
__Introduction__ Perfume is something that most women use every day without any thought about what is in it and how it will affect their bodies much less the environment. There are hundreds of different chemicals that make up the fragrances that are worn on a daily basis. The chemicals in perfume can not only be harmful to you and your body but can also be harmful to the environment. We will specifically be looking at two chemicals that are tested and found in 36 different perfumes. The first is diethyl phthalate and the second is variations of synthetic musk’s. “The ubiquitous presence of synthetic musks and phthalates in the environment and in consumer products, many of which are very slow to break down, results in continuous background exposures with unknown long-term consequences” (Greenpeace)

Diethyl Phthalate is a man-made plasticizer used in everything from plastics to perfumes. “It is used in various cosmetic and personal care products (e.g., hair sprays, nail polishes, and perfumes), primarily as a solvent and vehicle for fragrances and other cosmetic ingredients and as an alcohol denaturant” (National Toxicology Program).
 * Diethyl Phthalate **

“Synthetic musks are man-made chemicals produced in large quantities and used extensively in a vast array of scented consumer products, including detergents, cleaning products, air fresheners, perfumes, aftershaves, cosmetics and personal care products (Tanabe, 2005). They were created to replace the rare and more expensive natural musks obtained from musk deer and musk ox. They are of two general types: the nitro musks and the polycyclic musks. Musk xylene (MX) and musk ketone (MK) are the only two nitro musks of commercial importance today.” (WWF)
 * Synthetic Musk’s **

** C12H14O4 (Wikipedia)
 * // __Chemical Principle__ //**

Diethyl Phthalate** Diethyl phthalate (DEP) is one of many phthalate esters in common use. It is a colorless, oily liquid and has a boiling point of 295 ºC. It is soluble in alcohol, acetone, ether, benzene, ketones, esters, aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic solvents, and vegetable oils. Diethyl Phthalate reacts photochemically with hydroxyl radicals in the air (estimated half-life of 22.2 hours). Its distribution between the gaseous and particulate phases in air was estimated; the fraction of DEP in the particulate (aerosol) phase was 0.00039 (IPCS, 2003). DEP is mostly untransformed by photolysis (<1%); at DEP levels of 191 μg/L, only ~5% was lost by hydrolysis in 12 hours at pH 10 (IPCS, 2003). DEP does not adsorb to any aquatic surfaces (simulated aquatic ecosystem). (National Technology Program)

“The composition based on nitrated synthetic musk, contains about 0.5 to 50% y weight with respect to the total composition, of a modifying agent, the complement to 100% being constituted by the nitrated synthetic musk. The modifying agent is a solid non-filmformer, at least partially soluble in lower alcohols… To the man skilled in the art, nitrated synthetic musks are known and their use incorporated into products derived from the industry of perfumes, washing materials and the like. Among the nitrated synthetic musks most frequently encountered in practice are: musk xylene, musk ambrette, musk ketone, musk tibetene and musk moskene.
 * Synthetic Musks [[image:403px-Musk_Ketone.svg.png width="277" height="212"]] ** ** (Wikipedia) **

The exact chemical names of these musks are as follows:

Musk xylene - 1-t. butyl-3,5-dimethyl-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene

Musk ketone - 4-t. butyl-2-methyl-3,6-dinitro-acetophenone

Musk ambrette - 6-t. butyl-3-methyl-2,4-dinitro anisole

Musk tibetene - 2,6-dinitro-3,4,5-trimethyl-tert-butylbenzene

Musk moskene - 1,1,3,3,5-pentamethyl-4,6-dinitroindane.”

(freepatentsonline)

Perfume has had a great impact on society since it was first made. Thousands of years ago Egyptians used perfume balms for religious ceremonies and then used it for pre love making preparations later on. Products that enhance the feel of skin and the smell of the body have been highly valued in every culture. Trade routes introduced spices to other parts of the world and a wider range of scents could be made. In the past people often mixed their own potions using home methods creating their own aromatherapy products. Many homes had a still room where essences were steeped out of flowers and herbs (Perfume Fashion History).
 * // __Societal Impact__ //**

The history of perfume has had a major influence on modern day society. The manufacturing and retailing of perfume has become a multi-billion dollar a year industry. In today’s society perfume is not really used for religious ceremonies anymore. However it is used for adding an extra touch to one’s personal scent or used as an agent that assist with smelling good. There are hundreds of perfume manufacturers that design perfumes and colognes for men and women that have a lot of different scents to choose from. Perfume scents can range from very sweet to very strong. It depends on an individuals taste what type of scent they prefer (The History of Perfume). Wikipedia [] National Toxicology Program [] WWF [] Greenpeace [] Freepatentsonline [] Perfume Fashion History [] The History of Perfume []
 * // __References__ //**