Synthesis of l-Menthyl d -Bitartrate and its Application in Cigarette

In order to develop a menthol flavor for cigarette, l-menthyl d-bitartrate was synthesized by refluxing d-tartaric acid and l-menthol in mol ratio of 2. 4:1 with toluene as solvent and p -toluene sulfonic acid as catalyst. The synthetic was purified by molecular distillation at 80℃ and 1 Pa, a product contained 97.4% of l-menthyl d-bitartrate was obtained, and the yield was up to 80%. The panel test results of cigarette flavored with the synthetic at a ratio of 0.001% showed that the smoke was milder and offered a fresh and cool taste.