Unilever Centre for Molecular Science Informatics, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK.
Structure-odour relationship analyses using hierarchical clustering were carried out on a diverse dataset of 47 molecules. These molecules were divided into seven odour categories: ambergris, bitter almond, camphoraceous, rose, jasmine, muguet, and musk. The alignment-independent descriptor EVA (EigenVAlue) was used as the molecular descriptor. The results were compared with those of another kind of descriptor, the UNITY 2D fingerprint. The dendrograms obtained with these descriptors were compared with the seven odour categories using the adjusted Rand index. The dendrograms produced by EVA consistently outperformed those from UNITY 2D in reproducing the experimental odour classifications of these 47 molecules.