BPS 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Methylparaben, Androstenone, Bombykol
29 Apr 2018
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Love & Attraction
Human chemical machines
• Emotions result from chemical interactions
• Formation and maintenance of relationships
Pheromones (Chemistry of Attraction)
• Substance produced by an organism that elicits an unlearned response in another member of
the same species
o Chemicals used to carry information b/w two individuals of the same species
o Messenger molecules
• Female silk worm moth
o Secrete bombykol to attract male moths
o Male moth use their specialized antennae to detect bombykol
▪ Using its antennae it can figure out where the female is
o Pheromones transmit information from the outside of the cell to the inside
(messengers)
• Used for pest control
o Small amounts needed to operate, Specie specific, Non toxic (fragrance)
o Bait for trapping these insects
▪ Does’t ork as ell as pest otrol
▪ Trap has pheromone in it and will trap the bugs inside
▪ Can decrease the amount of pesticides used on crops
• Periplanone Most potent pheromone known secreted by female cockroach
o Used by the CIA to follow spies
Plants
• Chiloglottis trapeziformis uses wasp pheromones
• Flower pheromone is more attractive than female wasps
o Ophrys exaltata
▪ Top portion of the plant will dust pollen on the head of the bee and allows it to
transfer pollen from plant to plant
o The mixture is duplicated by the flower
Animals
• Elephants
o Female elephants contain pheromone in their urine
o Overlapping pheromones elephant and butterfly
• Dogs
o Female dogs in heat secrete methyl paraben
o Methyl paraben common preservative found in cosmetics (hand cream)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Truffles
• Fungi that grow underground near oak trees
o Female pigs are used to find them
• Androstenone
o Produced by the truffle and male pigs
o Part of the mating behaviour of pigs
▪ Why the pigs seek out the truffles
o Used in boar spray
o Found in human sweat
▪ Male sweat relax women (effect really small)
Attraction
• Andron (name of the perfume)
o First perfume to use androstenone
▪ Ex. Axe contains androsterone
Skatole
• Bad smell Odour of feces
• Produced by intestinal & oral bacteria
• Flavor and fragrance industry make this in large amounts
o Fragrances
▪ called Civetole in the perfumes
▪ used to make perfumes
▪ Civet Oil (found in high end perfume) comes from the civet cat anal glands
▪ $600 per kilo
▪ Proper proportions = good smell
o Artificial Flavor
▪ Found in ice-cream, jelly, cigarettes
• Found in certain flowers
o Orange flowers
• In high amounts you get the odor of feces, low amounts a pleasant aroma
Musk
• Expensive $100,000 per Kg
o Must kill the animal to get the substance
o Material comes from a waxy substance inside
• TODAY: Synthetic musk is used
o Similar scent to what is found in deer (Muscone)
o Synthetic material : Musk ketone
• Axe contains musk ketone
Do humans pheromones exist?
• Huas do’t hae the oeroasal orga (found within the nose)
o That is why e do’t respod to pherooes the sae a that aials or isets do
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
