Arab perfumers in the sixth century were the first to discover that diluting the obnoxious smelling dried contents of the little pod found near the anus of the male Asian musk deer not only resulted in a pleasant odour but when added to perfumes gave them long-lasting power.聽Musk was even incorporated into the mortar of important buildings so that it would waft a pleasant smell into the air.聽There was even a belief that the aroma had aphrodisiac qualities and would, therefore, enhance the pleasure of certain activities.
Europeans learned about perfumery from the Arabs and recognized the value of adding musk to their products.聽Of course, the problem was a scarcity of supply.聽Some musk-like fragrances were found in the glandular secretions of other animals such as the musk ox, the African civet cat, and the muskrat but they were as pleasant smelling as that which was found in the musk deer.
Then along came Alfred Baur and his tinkering with TNT, trinitrotoluene. TNT had been first prepared in 1863 by the German chemist Julius Wilbrand as a yellow dye and was composed of carbon, hydrogen, and three nitro groups, which supplied the oxygen needed to combust the molecule.聽When TNT's explosive potential became evident, there were all sorts of attempts to improve its explosive power by altering its聽structure.
Baur thought that by adding four carbon atoms to the molecule, what in chemical terms is known as a 鈥渂utyl鈥� group, he would increase its internal fuel supply.聽Turns out it didn鈥檛 work and the idea was a literal stinker! Baur recognized this new TNT smell as being similar to that of聽musk,聽showing that the scent聽could be easily and cheaply produced on a large scale.
These nitro musks are still used today and are often used as the basis for many perfumes.
The male musk deer is, no doubt, relieved.
