The enantioselectivity of N-dodecanoyl-L-proline-3,5-dimethyl-anilide is also good, but the basic line fluctuates strongly due to containing benzene ring in its molecular structure.
It was found that the compounds are adsorbed on the Ag surface through the carboxyl oxygen atoms, the benzene adopts acclivitous conformation, others lie low on the Ag surface.
Plus, aldehydes usually have strong smells, and vanillin also contains a ring of six carbon atoms, known as a benzene ring, that tends to make chemicals even smellier.
And scientists already knew how to make it -- one way involved combining methyl alcohol and anthranilic acid, a type of acid with one of those smelly benzene rings.