Oakmoss Resin

#### Oakmoss "Resin". Oakmoss "resin" or **Oakmoss "Resinoid**" are very ill-defined products, and it is apparently entirely up to the supplier to decide what type of product he wants to offer under that label. As the years go by, certain oakmoss "resins" prove to be more successful than others, and the trade will have the interesting experience that the successful (and usually "compounded") oakmoss "resins" become "models" or "standards" for similar extracts from other suppliers. Basically, the product called oakmoss "resin" or "resinoid" is the hot-alcohol extract from the lichen, **Evernia Prunastri**. The product can be considered as an evaporated alcohol-infusion of oakmoss. Ethyl alcohol is not exactly a selective solvent, and, while the yield of extract is very high with this method, the extract contains also a great deal of chlorophyll and odorless ballast material which is not soluble even in cold alcohol. Its color is almost black-green or brownish-green, more brown when older, but the most important difference from the other oakmoss products is its chemical composition. The delicate aldehydes (**Evernic Aldehyde**, etc.) in the extract are rapidly decomposed due to the absence of evernic acid which acts as an inhibitor for the protection of the aldehydes in the natural material. The acid is lost because it is esterified under the reflux with ethyl alcohol. The ethyl ester of evernic acid is toxic. It is a liquid, fragrant material which has been prepared synthetically, and is used in the reproduction of oakmoss odors for various well known specialties. It should be noted then, that **Ethyl Everninate **is *not *a natural constituent of oakmoss (compare to Labdanum "Resin" which is an alcohol-refluxed product of the crude botanical. **Styrax Resinoid, Benzoin Resinoid**, etc. may all contain ethyl esters of the acids from the botanical starting material). However, ethyl alcohol produces esters with the oakmoss acids which have more pleasant odors than does e.g. methyl alcohol. The overall result is that the prepared **Oakmoss**** ****"Resin"**** **is a waxy, dark green extract which may produce crystals in the same manner as does the benzene extracted concrète (see monograph). **Oakmoss**** ****"Resin"**** **or **Oakmoss**** ****"Resinoid"**** **is used in perfumery where color and poor solubility present no great problem (colored soaps). They can be extracted further with cold alcohol or with a different solvent, thus producing an "absolute from resinoid", soluble in ethyl alcohol and stronger in odor than the ordinary "resin". A great number of the commercial products known as **Oakmoss Resin **are merely compounds based upon cleaned "resinoids" or alcohol-washed residues from the production of oakmoss absolute. To this basic matter is added coumarin, clove bud oil, deertongue extract, hydroquinone di- methyl ether, phenyl methyl ether, isobutyl quinoline, ethyl everninate, rosemary oil residues, sage oil residues, Texas cedarwood oil, etc. and often substantial amounts of high-boiling solvents such as diethyl sebacate, ethyl ricinoleate, methyl abietate, tetrahydro abietic alcohol, benzyl benzoate, etc. The total world production of extracted perfume materials from oakmoss is very difficult to estimate since many commercial products are mixtures of oakmoss and treemoss extracts. Large quantities of true and pure oakmoss extracts are sold to companies who "work up" the genuine extract with other perfume materials and sell their own "special" oakmoss extract. A rough estimate of the total production of oakmoss and treemoss extracts would be about 45 to 65 metric tons per year.