Examination of zeolites as fragrance carriers

Zeolites are well-known as very good adsorbents used, e.g. for water purification, gas drying and removal of harmful compounds. They are also used as molecular sieves for separation of mixtures of different compounds. Zeolites may also serve as fragrance carriers. This paper presents surface properties of natural and synthetic zeolites and influence of these properties on the ability to adsorb several fragrance compounds: citral, p-cymene, geraniol, menthol. The enthalpy, entropy and energy of adsorption of these compounds on the surface of studied zeolites were estimated using of inverse gas chromatography (IGC). Activity of the zeolites surface was expressed by the value of the dispersive component of the free surface energy γSD. γSD parameter was determined by means of inverse gas chromatography at 35 °C and various humidity. Zeolite structure was determined by XRD and nitrogen sorption. IGC derived experimental data concerning adsorption of fragrance on zeolites have been discussed using structural and affinity QSAR characteristics obtained by from DFT and Hyperchem procedures. Obtained results prove that both studied zeolites can be successfully applied as fragrance carrier.

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► Structure and physicochemical properties of zeolite and molecular sieve were studied.
► The magnitude of interactions of the fragrance compounds with zeolites were studied.
► Structural characterization of used fragrance compounds was performed.
► Studied materials can be successfully applied as fragrance carrier.