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Is this Skatole?
I ordered 100 gram of skatole (3-methylindole) from China. I thought the smell would be overpowering, but instead, while it has an earthy smell, it is not bowling me over (not that I am sticking my nose in there).
Has anyone worked with skatole? Is the smell incredibly powerful? That is what I expected for what is, basically, the essence of feces. I have smelled thiols that were orders of magnitude more powerful smelling than this.
How can I test if this is skatole? I will do a melting point determination. Any other suggestions?
If it matters, the product is a slightly yellowed solid that consists of needle like crystals 2 to 5 mm long.
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4 Replies
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I don’t have an answer to your question, but I do have a question of my own. What is your intended application? Fragrance?
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Thanks for replying. Actually, no it’s not for fragrances. I need to test a product and skatole is a good test subject.
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I concluded it was skatole. I did a melting point determination and the mp was 94 Celsius. Also it is soluble in 91% isopropyl and insoluble in water. Those all match skatoles characteristics
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Glad you could confirm you do indeed have skatole.
I’m even more curious about the application now. Is it one of those bathroom sprays meant to eliminate malodors if you spray it in the bowl before doing your business?
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