Labdanum Resin Absolute

#### Labdanum "Resin Absolute". In order to distinguish between **Labdanum Absolute **(which is usually the absolute from concrète extract of the plant material) and **Labdanum**** ****"Gum"**** ****Absolute,**** **the suppliers have resorted to using various odd names for their products. These products should have at least one thing in common: alcohol solubility. **Labdanum Resin Absolute **is a fairly logical designation for the alcoholic extract of crude labdanum "gum". In other words, it is an alcoholresinoid of labdanum, prepared in a one-step hot or cold extraction. This product is also the cheapest of all the available alcohol-soluble and generally applicable labdanum extracts. For practical reasons, it is customary to add an inert solvent to the alcohol extract, preferably prior to the recovery of the alcohol in modest vacuum. The solvent can be diethylphthalate, diethylsebacate, isopropylpalmitate, or it may be a weak-smelling, high-boiling odorant like isobutylcinnamate or benzylbenzoate. Such diluents are often used to make the extract pourable at room temperature. The yield of alcohol-soluble extract from a waterfree, good-quality, cleaned crude labdanum "gum" is about 60 to 70%. In order to make this extract pourable, an addition of 20 to 35% of a solvent may be required. **Labdanum Resin Absolute **is a viscous, dark brown liquid when solvent is added. It is a semisolid mass when solvent-free. Its odor is somewhat stronger and sweeter than that of the crude labdanum, and the "burnt" notes of the botanical raw material are subdued or eliminated in the odor of this extract. **Labdanum Resin Absolute **is used extensively as a general fixative with a distinct sweetening effect and an ambra-type odor. It blends extremely well with nitromusks and other artificial musks, with ionones, linalool, linalylesters, pine needle oils, bornylacetate, cypress oil, clary sage oil, citrus oils (bergamot in particular), vanillin and coumarins, cedarwood oil and its derivatives, vetiver, sandalwood, etc. in countless types of perfumes and perfume bases. Its main use is in the creation of an **Ambre **note, in which bergamot oil, nitromusks, vanillin and ionones also play a significant role. The term **Ambre**** **refers to the **Ambra**** **(see this monograph) from the sperm whale. **Ambrein**** **is a name often given to a compounded perfume base of high fixative value. Various **Ambreines **of the trade consist of an extracted labdanum product with addition of nitromusks, bergamot oil, vanillin, vetiver oil, patchouli oil, olibanum resinoid, etc. In organic chemistry, the name **Ambreine **is applied to a terpenoid compound derived from farnesol and related to squalene. Since **Labdanum Resin Absolute **is obtained by direct—and usually hot—extraction from the crude botanical, it must be kept in mind that a separation of minor but very annoying amounts of a resinous matter may occur in dilute alcoholic compounds, e.g. colognes and lotions. To ensure crystal clear solutions and to safeguard completely against resinous deposits, **Labdanum Absolute **and **Cistus Oil **(see these monographs) are often preferred. **Anhydrol**** ****Labdanum**** **is a pale yellow liquid, obtained as a molecular distillate or co-distillate of a labdanum extract. The extraction of the crude botanical is carried out with a high-boiling oil-soluble solvent, completely avoiding the presence of alcohol or water. **Anhydrol Ethyl**** ****Labdanate **is presumably prepared from a labdanum extract made under reflux with alcohol. The natural acids are esterified, and will appear in the final molecular distillate as part of the odorous complex. The latter product is thus not truly representative of the natural raw material, but it may be considered as a derivative of labdanum. See also the monograph on **Anhydrols**** **in Part One of this book.