Stilbene (trans-stilbene) has a soft, sweet-balsamic odor with hay-like and faintly floral-powdery facets. It is quiet and diffusive rather than assertive, lending a warm smoothness reminiscent of coumarin/tonka territory. Used mainly as a fixative and rounder in fougère and oriental accords.AI · claude-opus-4-7
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Perfume and Flavor Chemicals, page 1267.
Almost colorless or pale yellowish crystals.
Insoluble in water, 1° soluble in alcohol, soluble in most oils.
Sweet and pleasant, balsamic-floral, rather heavy odor of excellent tenacity.
This hydrocarbon is briefly mentioned because it has at one time been used in perfume compositions, and it is probably one of the oldest aromatic (Benzene-derived) perfume chemicals known (1844). It was used in Hyacinth, Lilac, Appleblossom and many balsamic-floral fragrance types, partly as a fixative.
1) from Benzaldehyde plus Phenylacetic acid at 140°C. in the presence of Piperidine. This process produces trans-alpha-Phenylcinnamic acid as an intermediate, and the acid will be decarboxylated to the title isomer. 2) from Benzaldehyde and 2,4-Dinitrotoluene. 3) from Benzyl magnesium chloride plus Benzaldehyde.