A compound of the formula I [structure] in which X and Y are selected as follows: (i) X is H and Y is selected from the group consisting of [structure] (ii) X and Y together form a bivalent radical selected from the group consisting of â€”Oâ€”CH 2 â€”Oâ€”, â€”Nâ• CHâ€”Oâ€” and â€”Nâ• CHâ€”Sâ€” thus forming together with the carbon atoms to which the radical is attached a 5-membered ring. The compounds have cooling properties and are useful in, for example, foodstuffs, dentifrices and cosmetics.

Description

9 parts

›CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national stage application of International Application No. PCT/CH2006/000116, filed 23 Feb. 2006, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/657,562, filed 1 Mar. 2005, from which applications priority is claimed, and which applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein as if fully written out below.

This invention relates to heterocyclic compounds having cooling properties.

Cooling compounds, that is, chemical compounds that impart a cooling sensation to the skin or the mucous membranes of the body, are well known to the art and are widely used in a variety of products such as foodstuffs, tobacco products, beverages, dentifrices, mouthwashes and toiletries.

One class of cooling compounds that have enjoyed substantial success consists of N-substituted p-menthane carboxamides. Examples of these compounds are described in, for example, British Patents GB 1,351,761-2 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,052.

It has now been found that a particular selection of such compounds exhibits a cooling effect that is both surprisingly strong and long-lasting. The invention therefore provides a compound of the formula I

in which X and Y are selected as follows:

(i) X is H and Y is selected from the group consisting of

(ii) X and Y together form a bivalent radical selected from the group consisting of —O—CH 2 —O—, —N═CH—O— and —N═CH—S— thus forming together with the carbon atoms to which the radical is attached a 5-membered ring (a 1,3-dioxolane ring, a 1,3-oxazole ring or a 1,3-thiazole ring respectively)

Specific examples of compounds of Formula I are shown below:

The compounds may be easily prepared and isolated by art-recognized methods

They are distinguished from similar compounds of the prior art by their surprisingly high cooling effect (up to 100 times higher than that of similar known compounds) and by the longevity of the cooling effect, which adds to their attractiveness in a large variety of products.

For example, a small group of panelists was asked to taste various solutions of cooling compounds and indicate which solutions had a cooling intensity similar or slightly higher than that of a solution of menthol at 2 ppm. Results are shown in table 1.

From Table 1, it can be seen that the compounds of Formula I are up to 100 times stronger than menthol, the reference cooling compound. Compounds of Formula I are also much stronger and last longer than WS-3, the best cooling compound of the prior art.

The compounds of the invention may be used in products that are applied to the mouth or the skin to give a cooling sensation. By “applying” is meant any form of bringing into contact, for example, oral ingestion or, in the case of tobacco products, inhalation. In the case of application to the skin, it may be, for example, by including the compound in a cream or salve, or in a sprayable composition. The invention therefore also provides a method of providing a cooling effect to the mouth or skin by applying thereto a product comprising a compound as hereinabove described. The invention also provides a composition that provides a cooling sensation to the skin or oral cavity, comprising a compound as hereinabove defined.

The invention is now further described by means of the following non-limiting examples, which describe preferred embodiments.

›Examples8

›EXAMPLE 1

Preparation of N-benzooxazol-4-yl 3-p-menthanecarboxamide

To a flask, were added 0.5 g (3.7 mmol) of benzooxazol-4-ylamine, 0.7 mL of triethylamine and 10 mL of dichloromethane. The mixture is cooled to 0° C. and 0.71 g of 3-p-menthanecarboxyl chloride were added dropwise over 5 minutes. The reaction mixture was stirred overnight. To the reaction mixture, 10 mL of water were added. The mixture was separated. The aqueous layer is washed with EtOAc (3×5 mL). The combined organic layers were washed with 5 mL water. The organic layer was dried over Na 2 SO 4 . The solvent was evaporated in vacuo to afford the crude product, which was purified over silica gel to afford 0.46 g of the desired product with the following spectroscopic properties:

MS: 300 ([M + ]), 133, 97, 83

1 H NMR (300 MHz; CDCl 3 ) δ: 8.35 (s, 1H), 8.14 (d, 1H), 7.68 (d, 1H), 7.54 (br. s, 1H), 7.18 (dd, 1H), 2.25 (t, 1H), 1.91-1.61 (m, 5H), 1.5-1.23 (m, 2H), 1.17-0.9 (m, 2H), 0.94 (d, 3H), 0.93 (d, 3H), 0.85 (d, 3H)

›EXAMPLE 2

Preparation of N-benzooxazol-6-yl 3-p-menthanecarboxamide