Civetone is a macrocyclic

ketone In organic chemistry, a ketone is a functional group with the structure R–C(=O)–R', where R and R' can be a variety of carbon-containing substituents. Ketones contain a carbonyl group –C(=O)– (which contains a carbon-oxygen double b ...

and the main odorous constituent of

civet oil Civet (''Zibeth''; ''Zibet''; ''Zibetum''), also known as civet musk and civet oil, is the glandular secretion produced by both sexes of Viverridae species. Production A number of viverrid species secrete civet oil in their perineal glands, inc ...

. It is a

pheromone A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavio ...

sourced from the African civet. It has a strong musky odor that becomes pleasant at extreme dilutions. Civetone is closely related to

muscone Muscone is an organic compound that is the primary contributor to the odor of musk. The chemical structure of muscone was first elucidated by Leopold Ružička. It consists of a 15-membered ring ketone with one methyl substituent in the 3-positi ...

, the principal odoriferous compound found in

musk Musk ( Persian: مشک, ''Mushk'') is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial sub ...

; the structure of both compounds was elucidated by

Leopold Ružička Leopold Ružička (; born Lavoslav Stjepan Ružička; 13 September 1887 – 26 September 1976) was a Croatian-Swiss scientist and joint winner of the 1939 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his work on polymethylenes and higher terpenes" "including t ...

. Today, civetone can be synthesized from precursor chemicals found in

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced fr ...

Uses

Civetone is used as a perfume fixative and flavor. In order to attract

jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

s to

camera trap A camera trap is a camera that is automatically triggered by a change in some activity in its vicinity, like presence of an animal or a human being. It is typically equipped with a motion sensor – usually a passive infrared (PIR) senso ...

s, field biologists have used the

cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

Calvin Klein's Obsession For Men. It is believed that the civetone in the cologne resembles a territorial marking.{{cite web, url=http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/thoughtful-animal/2013/10/10/youll-never-guess-how-biologists-lure-jaguars-to-camera-traps/, title=You'll Never Guess How Biologists Lure Jaguars To Camera Traps, work=Scientific American Blog Network

References

Perfume ingredients Macrocycles Mammalian pheromones Cycloalkenes Ketones

Uses

See also

References