ChemSemBlog

It was another fine day in chemistry seminar at Andrews University.  On Thursday November 12, 2009 Professor Jeffrey A. Turk spoke to the seminar class at Andrews University!  Professor Jeffery A. Turk came to Andrews from Alma college where he is currently the Assistant Professor of Chemistry.  He specializes in fragrance research, meaning he studies chemicals that give good smells and studies them to see how to create better ones.

Professor Turk completed his undergraduate studies at Cleveland State University and then his Graduate work at the University of Cincinnati.  Following graduate school Professor Turk went to Purdue University where he conducted his postdoctoral research with Professor Mark A Lipton.  Following his postdoctoral research Professor Turk worked at C.B. Research and Development (now Adesis, Inc.), here he developed small molecule drug intermediates, and he also worked as a research scientist at International Flavors and Fragrances creating new aroma chemicals.  After a very short stay in the chemical industry, Professor Turk joined Alma College in 2006.

Professor Jeffery Turk shared information with the group that most of the group knew but possibly had forgotten about.  It was nice to have a refresher about the location of our smell receptors which are also known as the Olfactory Bulbs.  One very interesting point that Professor Turk brought out was that the size of the molecule created to be smelled has to be greater then 300 g/mol.  He explained to the group that when creating a new type of molecule, one of the major things that you need to focus on is making sure it is big enough to be detectable and when it is detected it needs to be volatile so that it makes your senses go crazy for that particular scent.  Now of course when we smell something it is not just one molecule, but rather a combination of a lot of different molecules and the key to creating a good cologne is to find that specific combination that smells awesome and is desired by everyone.

Professor Turk gave a lot of cool information and used more than just chemistry to present his topic.  He brought samples of different scents and had the whole group smell each one.  It made the presentation very enjoyable because it created a direct interaction with the speaker.  He spoke very well and stayed within his time limits.  It was very easy to hear the speaker and understand him, he spoke loudly and enunciated his words well.  It was a very enjoyable lecture.

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The seminar that was held on November 12, 2009 was titled “Sandalwood: More than just a pleasant smell” by Jeffery A. Turk.  Jeffery Turk is the current assistant professor of chemistry at Alma College since 2006. He received B.A. at Cleveland State University and Ph.D. and MS at the University of Cincinnati. He has participated in a lot of research, especially in the area of organic chemistry. One interesting research that he has participated in was that he worked as a research scientist at International Flavors and Fragrances creating new aroma chemicals.

He began with talking about how we actually smell. Odor molecules bind to olfaction receptor cells, which contain 7TM protein. The signals due to the change in structure of receptor cells go to the olfactory bulb. In fact, these receptors can bind with multiple odorants as well as each odorant can bind to different receptors.

Then, he started to talk about the chemistry of smell using isomers. It was really interesting to see that smell is created due to different isomers. Furthermore, I learned that scientists can produce the same structure of oil that the natural oil has, also giving a nature identical odor. Since the natural oil is really expensive, by creating new molecular, they can save money for their research. He showed the structure of a well known smell and how they combine or synthesize to create a new smell.

The most interesting part in this presentation was that he actually brought samples of smell and let us experience it ourselves. The smells were different by addition of one molecule, javanol. I asked a question of how many kinds of perfume were produced with sandalwood and he answered that 66-70% of female perfumes were based on sandalwood.

Overall, I enjoyed this week’s presentation and want to thank Dr. Turk for letting us have a good time learning about fragrances. He was a very good speaker, and he was also very enthusiastic about his research and bringing samples of smell to help us not lose our attentions. If I can sum up this presentation in one sentence it would be that the various smells in perfumes are created with just a little change, by the addition of a small molecule.

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The speaker for this week’s ChemSem was Jeffrey A. Turk from Alma College in central Michigan. He presented on the fragrance industry and the efforts being made to create new fragrances, while at the same time better understanding how the nose works, and how the brain interprets the chemical signals it receives.

The presentation was interesting and Dr. Turk did a good job of starting from basics in explaining the fragrance industry and the procurement of natural supplies. His focus was sandalwood oil which is very expensive. Most of what I learned in this seminar, however, related most directly to understanding of how the nose and brain interact in interpreting chemical smells. Apparently the nose is designed around the interpretation of functional groups on organic molecules. Furthermore, due in part to the mucous that protects the lining of the nasal passages, in order to smell something, the material needs to be hydrophobic, or else the mucous cannot solvate it.

Among the materials brought to demonstrate fragrances, were several vials which Dr. Turk used to give the audience a whiff of the differences one’s nose makes of various substances. One of the most interesting facts was the discussion of anosmia. Evidently, many people lack the ability to smell santolol, and furthermore, in some, once they smell it, for a time they cannot smell it again. Another sample Dr. Turk supplied was the smell from Ambergris which is specifically known for causing acute short term anosmia. This occured in me, in which I could smell it initially, but not upon a second attempt.

Overall, Dr. Turk did an impressive job of explaining something that most people take for granted every day in a more in depth and interesting manner such that it brought to light new and valuable material. The talk did not involve overly in depth reactions, but it did have a useful and engaging amount of chemistry such that the practical applications of more complex subjects (such as stereochemistry and Claisen rearrangements) was given usefulness in the broader scope of analytical and research chemistry.

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Our last guest speaker for this year, Jeffrey A. Turk works in odor chemistry a field of chemistry closely related to flavor chemistry. Before he entered into the world of fragrance chemistry however, he wanted to make drugs at a pharmaceutical company, describing the concept as “romantic.” Later he worked with scents at International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF), a company manufacturing and creating flavors and fragrances for a year and a half before he decided that he wanted to work with students. He has been at Alma College for four years now as Assistant Professor of Chemistry.

Initially Turk went over the olfactory sense before talking about the scents themselves. This was helpful since even as a science major, Foundations of Biology does not cover the mechanics and function of smell very in depth, so most of the knowledge I brought with me to this lecture was comprised from a Magic School Bus episode. One fact that caught my attention was that for us to smell something the molecule must be small, volatile and hydrophobic. ‘Hydrophobic’ especially raised interest, because I had never really thought about how odor receptors work. I guess this is why water does not have a strong scent. Some of the most valued fragrances have surprising origins. Musk comes from the anal glands of Tibetan deer and ambergris, which exudes a deep sweet odor, is from hardened whale poop. Sandalwood, the ingredient used in many perfumes, has a less exotic origin. Harvested from trees of the same name, sandalwood oil has varying scent according to the region that the tree grew in. Most of fragrance chemistry attempts to recreate the scents found in nature. The syntheses Turk showed to us were aldol chemistry or deviations of it. Different chemists follow different regimens to imitate these natural odors. Some make educated guesses and try to plan out a synthesis while others go about it in more haphazard manner.

Last year in Dr. Murray’s organic chemistry class, the independent research project that my partner and I worked on was the synthesis of raspberry ketones. While that project was more in the realm of flavor chemistry, as expected flavor and fragrance chemistry are closely related. So the personal experience I had brought an added interest to this particular seminar. Also, Turk passed around samples of various fragrances featured in his presentation such as sandalwood and ambergris which was exciting. After all the sniffing we did, Turk gave us a tip to clear our loaded odor receptors by sniffing the inside of our elbows. The soap used to wash the clothes and skin cleanses the nose making the practice equivalent to clearing the palette with lemon sorbet, except much more amusing.

Laymen’s Summary of the Seminar: You should know that almost everything around you is manufactured and synthesized. Even that piney, lemony smell from Wal-Mart. People like Dr. Turk figure out how to make great scents that go into perfumes and other consumer items.

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