A practical treatise on the manufacture of perfumery

by C. Deite

In commerce, several varieties of musk are distinguished, the principal ones, however, being Tonkin and Kabardin musk.

Tonkin, Thibet, or Oriental musk, Yunnan musk (Moschus tonquinensis, or orientalis, or transgangetanus) is the best variety. It comes from China, Tonkin, and Thibet. It consists of sacs of a puffed-up appearance, more roundish than longish, varying in size, being at the utmost 1.77 inches long, up to 1.57 inches broad and 0.59 to 1.18 inches thick, and weighing from 8.46 drachms to 1 oz. 9.39 drachms each. The hairy side of the sac is concave and the other flat. Fig. 21 shows an unshorn Tonkin musk sac of medium size from the concave or hairy side and Fig. 22 the same from the side. The envelop of the sac consists of a double skin, the outer skin being gray-brown. One side of the sac is covered with stiff, yellowish hair with red-brown points, generally cut short. The original packages, containing usually 24 sacs each, consist of longish, four-cornered boxes lined with lead-foil and covered outside with some silken stuff. Each sac is separately wrapped in tissue paper. The musk-substance appears as a dark red to black-brown mass intermingled with hair, and forming roundish grains. The odor is penetrating and the taste bitter.

Kabardin, Siberian, or Russian musk (Moschus sibirius, or cabardinicus) is a cheaper variety of an inferior quality, which is brought from Mongolia and Siberia. The sacs (Fig. 23) are longish, generally pear-shaped, flatter in proportion to their longitudinal and latitudinal dimensions, and not of a puffed-up appearance, the surface being frequently even shrivelled or wrinkled. The outer skin is denser and harder, and on the convex side covered with longer hair (up to 0.9 inch long), of nearly a silver or brownish color. Towards the edge of the sac the hairs are, however, frequently so trimmed and shorn as to give the sac a resemblance to the Tonkin article. The musk-substance inclosed in the sac amounts to from 8.46 drachms to 1 oz. It is somewhat paler, more brown or yellow-brown, soft, almost unctuous, when fresh, but after storing, solid or granular-pulverulent, like ground, burnt coffee. The odor is weak, offensive, more urinose, resembling that of castor, or horse sweat.

Moschus ex vesicis is said to be the musk taken from Tonkin sacs. As a rule, however, it consists of a mixture of musk substance taken from good sacs which present a bad appearance, or have been torn, and from sacs of an inferior quality, frequently adulterated with foreign substances, such as dried blood, dung of birds, weathered bicarbonate of soda, etc.

To open a musk sac, cut it with a sharp penknife around where the hairless side joints the hairy side, and empty it by scraping it out upon a sheet of paper. The membranes and hair are then removed by means of pincers.

The musk-substance of the Tonkin sacs is generally a heavy, dry-feeling mass; it is partially intermingled with and partially enveloped by small, thin, soft, brown, somewhat transparent membranes and frequently mixed with small hair. It is partially loose and crummy, and partially consists of various lumps or grains of the size of a mustard seed to that of a pea, which are more or less roundish, more seldom angular, softer or harder (but can always be readily cut), of a fatty lustre and black-brown or dark-red color. In fresh sacs, the mass is frequently soft, and, when bruised, somewhat smeary, but never unctuous. On rubbing, it becomes paler in color, and glistening hair-like, paler, gray or whitishyellow particles, sometimes of a crystalline texture, appear. The odor of the musk substance is peculiar, strong, and very constant; it is agreeable only when much diluted.

Musk is not a substance of a constant chemical and physical constitution, the reason for this being found in the age and the different foods of the musk animal, the season in which it is killed, and the degree of dryness of the musk-substance. Water dissolves ¾ of good musk and 90 per cent. alcohol ½. The alcoholic solution is not precipitated by water. Musk further contains fat-like substances, wax, gall-substances (together 10 to 12 per cent.), glue-substances and albumen (6 to 9 per cent.), traces of lactic and butyric acids, phosphates, sulphates and hydrochlorates of the alkalies and alkaline earths, frequently strong traces of ammonium carbonate and a volatile oil, further moisture, humus-substance, and fibrous matter.

Musk, when dried, has a weak odor, which gradually becomes stronger on moistening. There are several substances which destroy the musk odor, especially bitter almonds, camphor, sulphur, acids and sulphates. The odor adhering to a mortar in which musk has been rubbed can best be removed by pounding bitter almonds in it.

Since, on account of the high price of musk, the musk animal is much hunted, there is a possibility of it becoming in time extinct. For this reason a substitute has been long searched for, and is believed to have been found, especially, in the American musk-rat (Fiber zibethicus), which is chiefly hunted for its skin. In this animal the musk is found in two small sacs located between the anus and generative organs, and is emitted when the animal becomes excited. According to R. S. Cristiani, this musk is invaluable for the toilet soap industry of America, it being nearly as good and strong as genuine musk. Cristiani has formerly used much of it for scenting soaps, powders, etc., but does not recommend it for essences. When used for soaps, some time is required for the odor to become refined, and if a piece of soap scented with it is stored for a few months, it would, according to Cristiani's assertion, be difficult even for an expert perfumer to distinguish the odor from that of genuine Tonkin musk.