[citation needed] Gal first isolated patchouli alcohol in 1869, and Montgolfier later formulated its chemical composition (correctly) as C15H26O.

[4] After several years of careful degradation study, Büchi and co-workers proposed that patchouli alcohol had the structure 1.

A subsequent synthesis of material which corresponded to an authentic sample of natural patchouli alcohol appeared to verify Büchi's proposal.

Dunitz et al. had undertaken X-ray analysis of the patchouli alcohol diester with chromic acid, intending to determine the Cr-O-C angles.

The discrepancy had resulted from an unanticipated skeletal rearrangement when patchoulene was treated with peroxy acid in Büchi's confirmatory synthesis.