Ambra

Ambergrisor amber is a grey, waxy, pleasant-smelling substance from the digestive tract of sperm whales. The gray (ambergris) and black ambergris came to considerable importance in the manufacture of perfume. The scent is described as woody, dry, balsamic, somewhat tobacco-like with an aphrodisiac touch.

The main component (up to 97% of the material soluble in dichloromethane) of Ambergris is ambergris. Furthermore, volatile/semi-volatile compounds can be extracted with major components of odorous γ-dihydroionone and odourless pristane (2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane - Wilde MJ et al. 2020). In addition, variable proportions of steroids were found (Rowland SJ et al. 2017).

Ambergris has been found infrequently, but for centuries, as flotsam on beaches around the world, but mainly in the Atlantic Ocean and on the coasts of South Africa, Brazil, Madagascar, the East Indies, the Maldives, China, Japan, India, Australia, New Zealand and the Moluccas (Rowland SJ et al. 2019). Only recently have there been reliable data on how long such samples had remained in the ocean. Using radiocarbon age determinations, it was possible to elicit that versch. By means of radiocarbon age determinations, it was possible to determine that various samples were about a thousand years old (Rowland SJ et al. 2019).

The substance used to be a sought-after ingredient in perfume production. Today, ambergris has been largely displaced by synthetic substances and is only used in a few expensive perfumes.

1. Panten J et al. (2014) Recent results in the search for new molecules with ambergris odor. Chem Biodivers 11:1639-1650.
2. Rowland SJ et al (2019) The age of ambergris. Nat Prod Res 33: 3134-3142.
3. Rowland SJ et al. (2017) Chromatographic and spectral studies of jetsam and archived ambergris. Nat Prod Res 31:1752-1757.
4. Wilde MJ et al (2020) Volatile and semi-volatile components of jetsam ambergris. Nat Prod Res 34:3048-3053.
5. Zerbe P et al (2015) Enzymes for synthetic biology of ambroxide-related diterpenoid fragrance compounds. Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 148:427-447.