AROMA CHEMISTRY

THE AROMA OF BOOKS

WHAT CAUSES THE SMELL OF NEW & OLD BOOKS?

BOOKS, BOTH NEW & OLD, WILL GIVE OFF SEVERAL HUNDRED VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
(VOCs). THESE COMPOUNDS HAVE A VARIETY OF ORIGINS - SOME ARE THE PRODUCTS OF
DEGRADATION, WHILST OTHERS ARE THE RESULT OF THE TYPE OF PAPER, BINDING ADHESIVE
AND PRINTING INK USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE BOOK. THE EMISSION OF THESE
COMPOUNDS CAN ALSO BE USED AS A TOOL TO ASSESS DEGRADATION & CONDITION OF BOOKS.

NEW BOOKS OLD BOOKS

The odour of new books Over time, the gradual
is contributed to by a mix breakdown of the cellulose
of volatile chemicals which & lignin contained in paper
originate from the adhesive, leads to the production of
ink, and the paper treatment large numbers of different
methods used in the book. organic compounds.

ADHESIVES SELECTED COMPOUNDS & THEIR

INDIVIDUAL ODOURS
CH3
Modern day book binding
O C adhesives are often based HO
H H H O on ‘co-polymers’ such as
C C C C that shown here. Some O O
H H H H VOCs may originate from O
n m these compounds.
VINYL ACETATE ETHYLENE
BENZALDEHYDE VANILLIN
Almond-like Vanilla-like
PAPER & INK
H O
O O O O
O H
ALKYL KETENE DIMER HYDROGEN PEROXIDE ETHYL BENZENE & TOLUENE FURFURAL
(aids water resistance) (bleaching agent) Sweet odours Almond-like

In the paper-making process, the paper

is treated with a variety of chemicals, to
achieve desired properties. Some of these
chemicals could contribute to the release of
VOCs. Additionally, petrochemicals used as
solvents for inks can also contribute.
IN SHORT: No single chemical causes the
odour of books. It’s a result of a complex mix
of volatile chemicals produced by chemicals
used in their manufacture, as well as the
gradual degradation of the chemicals within
the paper.

©COMPOUND INTEREST 2014 - WWW.COMPOUNDCHEM.COM MAIN SOURCE: ‘IDENTIFICATION OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
C SHARED UNDER CC ATTRIBUTION NC ND LICENSE EMITTED BY A NATURALLY AGED BOOK’, A. LATTUATI-DERIEUX ET AL,
2004, JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHY A, VOL. 1026 P9-18
PICTURE: Public Domain