Students Create Perfumes

Students in Calvin Swartzendruber's Advanced Chemistry class learned about the perfume industry from two experts and then experimented in the lab with creating their own.

Norm Rowe, director of research and development at Lebermuth Company, along with perfumer Ellen Chen, presented the chemistry, history, and process for creating perfumes, which are described by a careful balance of three distinct characteristics or notes: a top note that evaporates quickly, but makes a quick impression and often has fruity or citrus fragrance; a middle note, often floral, that emerges just before the top note evaporates; and a base note, often a woody or animalic scent, that does not appear at first but lasts longer.

In creating their perfumes, students carefully measured and recorded the amount of each fragrant compound--so they could recreate their perfume.