Photochemical preparation of polycycloalkyl oxyalkanes and oxyalkenes

Abstract

Processes and compositions are described for altering the aroma of consumable products including perfumes, perfume compositions and perfumed articles utilizing as the essential ingredient one or more of the polycycloalkyl oxyalkanes and/or oxyalkenes (broadly hereinafter referred to as polycycloalkyl oxyhydrocarbons) having the generic formula: ##STR1## the polycyclic moiety being bicyclic or tricyclic, wherein X is one of the moieties: ##STR2## provided that the polycyclic moiety is tricyclic only when X contains an epoxide moiety; and wherein one of the dashed lines is a carbon-carbon bond and each of the wavy lines is a carbon-carbon single bond, one of the carbon-carbon single bonds represented by the wavy line being epimeric with respect to the other of the carbon-carbon single bonds represented by the wavy line; and processes for preparing individual compounds or mixtures of these compounds including the steps of: I. Subjecting one or more santalene hydrocarbons having the generic structure: ##STR3## TO PHOTOOXIDATION WITH OXYGEN, BASE AND ULTRA VIOLET LIGHT TO FORM A MIXTURE OF COMPOUNDS HAVING THE GENERIC STRUCTURES: ##STR4## ii. Optionally fractionally distilling the resulting reaction products for utilization; or Iii. Optionally reacting .alpha.-santalene, beta-santalene, epi-beta-santalene or mixtures thereof with a peracid to produce onr or more epoxide compounds having the generic structure: ##STR5## IV. Optionally fractionally distilling the resulting reaction product(s) for utilization; and/or V. Optionally reducing the resulting epoxide with lithium aluminum hydride to form one or more tertiary alcohols having the generic structure: ##STR6## vi. Optionally fractionally distilling the thus formed tertiary alcohol(s); or vii. Rearranging the epoxide compounds having the generic formula: ##STR7## using diphenyl diselenide and sodium borohydride to form one or more allylic tertiary alcohols having the generic formula: ##STR8## viii. Optionally rearranging the epoxide compounds having the structure: ##STR9## using aluminum isopropoxide to form allylic secondary alcohols having the generic structure: ##STR10## ix. Optionally fractionally distilling the allylic secondary alcohols. In addition the novel compounds having the generic structure: ##STR11## as well as the structure: ##STR12## wherein X is one of the moieties: ##STR13## are described.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.