Musk Ketone
Aroma Chemical Base Note CAS 81-14-1
Sweet, dry and powdery musk with a soft, slightly floral character and great tenacity. It adds a clean powderiness and lasting base to white floral accords.
Odor profile
| Note | Base Note |
| Descriptor 1 | Musk-like |
| Descriptor 2 | Sweet |
| Descriptor 3 | Powdery |
| Odor Impact1 | 35 |
| Impact Level | Medium |
| Tenacity1 | 600 h |
| Tenacity2 | 400 h |
1 Source: PerfumersWorld
2 Source: The Good Scents Company
Both tenacity figures are blotter life. The two labs use different evaluation protocols, so the numbers are not directly comparable — read them as two independent readings, not as a contradiction.
Identification
| CAS Number | 81-14-1 |
| INCI Name | 4'-tert-butyl-2',6'-dimethyl-3',5'-dinitroacetophenone |
| Category | Aroma Chemical |
| Formula | C14H18N2O5 |
| Mol. Weight | 294.30 |
| IUPAC Name | 1-(4-tert-butyl-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dinitrophenyl)ethanone |
| InChIKey | WXCMHFPAUCOJIG-UHFFFAOYSA-N |
Synonyms
2,6-Dinitro-3,5-dimethyl-4-acetyl-t.butylbenzene, 2,6-Dimethyl-4-tert.butyl-3,5-dinitro-acetophenone, Musk ketone Musk ketone, Ketonmoskus, 2,6-Dinitro-3,5-dimethyl-4-acetyl tertiary butylbenzene, 2,6-Dimethyl-3,5-dinitro-4-tertiary butylacetophenone, 4-tertiary Butyl-3,5-dinitro-2,6-dimethyl acetophenone, acetophenone, 4-tert-butyl-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dinitro-, 1-acetyl-4-(tert-butyl)-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dinitrobenzene, 1-(4-tert-butyl-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dinitro-phenyl)-ethanone, 4-tert-butyl-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dinitroacetophenone, 1-(4-tert-butyl-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dinitrophenyl)ethanon, 1-(4-tert-butyl-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dinitrophenyl)ethanone, 4-tert-butyl-2,6-dimethyl-3,3-dinitroacetophenone, 4-tert-butyl-3,5-dinitro-2,6-dimethyl acetophenone, 4-tert-butyl-3,5-dinitro-2,6-dimethylacetophenone, 1-(4-(tert-butyl)-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dinitrophenyl)ethanone, 1-[4-(tert-butyl)-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dinitrophenyl]ethan-1-one, 1-(4-(1,1-dimethyl ethyl)-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dinitrophenyl) ethanone, 2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dinitro-4-tert-butylacetophenone, 1-[2,6-dimethyl-4-(2-methyl-2-propanyl)-3,5-dinitrophenyl]ethanone, 1-(4-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dinitrophenyl) ethanone, 1-(4-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dinitrophenyl)ethanone, 1-[4-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dinitrophenyl]ethanone, 3,5-dinitro-2,6-dimethyl-4-tert-butyl acetophenone, 2,6-dinitro-3,5-dimethyl-4-acetyl-tert-butyl benzene, ethanone, 1-(4-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dinitrophenyl)-, 1-[4- (1,1-dimethylethyl)-2,6-dimethyl-3, 5-dinitrophenyl]-, 1-[4-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-2,6-dimethyl-3,5-dinitrophenyl]-, ketone moschus, musk ketone extra, muskketone
Physical and chemical data
| Boiling Point | 395.00 °C |
| Melting Point | 136.5 °C |
| Flash Point | 168.0 °C |
| Density | 0.73 |
| Vapor Pressure | 3.00X10-7 mm Hg at 25 °C |
| LogP | 3.7 |
| Solubility | In water, 0.46 mg/L at 25 °C |
| Appearance | Musk ketone is a light yellow crystalline solid. Insoluble in water. (NTP, 1992) |
Regulatory status
IFRA maximum concentrations
| Category | Use | Limit in the finished product |
|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | Lip products, toys | Not restricted |
| Category 2 | Deodorants, antiperspirants | Not restricted |
| Category 3 | Eye products | Not restricted |
| Category 4 | Fine fragrance | Not restricted |
| Category 5A | Body lotion | Not restricted |
| Category 5B | Face cream | Not restricted |
| Category 5C | Hand cream | Not restricted |
| Category 5D | Baby creams, oils | Not restricted |
| Category 6 | Oral care, mouthwash | Not restricted |
| Category 7A | Rinse-off hair products | Not restricted |
| Category 7B | Leave-on hair products | Not restricted |
| Category 8 | Intimate and baby wipes | Not restricted |
| Category 9 | Soap, shampoo, rinse-off | Not restricted |
| Category 10A | Household care, hand contact | Not restricted |
| Category 10B | Aerosol air fresheners | Not restricted |
| Category 11A | Intended skin contact | Not restricted |
| Category 11B | Minimal skin contact | Not restricted |
| Category 12 | No skin contact, candles | Not restricted |
| IFRA Amendment | 45 |
| Restriction Type | Restriction / Specification |
| Critical Effect | Dermal Sensitization And Systemic Toxicity |
| Specification | Musk xylene (CAS number 81-15-2), which has been prohibited for use in fragrance compounds for environmental reasons (vPvB), can be present in Musk ketone as an impurity. Musk ketone should only be used if it contains less than 0.1% of Musk xylene. |
Restricted components
| Component | Share |
|---|---|
| Musk xylene | 0.099 % |
IFRA regulated substances declared for this material. For naturals — which are mixtures of many molecules — the interactive index derives the effective maximum concentration per category from them. On single molecules these shares are purity traces from the supplier specification; they are far too small to limit use and are therefore not counted.
All figures on this page are guide values collected from public reference works and supplier declarations. They differ between batches, origins and qualities. The data sheet of your own supplier is always the authoritative document for the material you actually use.