Structure-activity relationship in the domain of odorants having marine notes

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/hlca.200790126

We synthesized or re-synthesized a large series of 2H-1,5-benzodioxepin- 3(4H)-ones 9 (Scheme 1), 4,5-dihydro-1-benzoxepin-3(2H)-ones 10 (Schemes 3 and 4) and 5,6,8,9-tetrahydro-7H-benzocyclohepten-7-ones 11 (Schemes 5 and 6), since the lead compound for the olfactory note of perfumes based on marine accords is a well-known benzodioxepinone named Calone 1951 (9b). We meticulously described the odor profile of each synthesized compound and discussed relevant structure-odor relationships (Tables 1-3). In particular, we revealed a correlation between the conformation of the seven-membered ring and the activities of these compounds (Table 4 and Fig. 3). We also clarified the effect of the position and the size of the alkyl substituent at the aromatic ring.