I chose the name azulene for my website, because the chemistry of azulene is somewhat unusual--even though azulene is structurally similar to common organic compounds, such as naphthalene which is white, it is bright blue! I synthesized azulene during my sophmore year of college, and I wrote a paper and gave a presentation about it, including information about why it is blue. I will attempt to get my hands on this file, because it explains pretty simply the most intersting aspect of azulene chemistry, and will even tell you how you could make your very own sample of azulene in your home organic chemistry lab. (I'm kidding kids. It actually requires some relatively dangerous procedures.)

For now, take a look at this link to see an electron density represenation of the molecule.

Strangely enough, azulene is now used in beauty and skin care products such as this. When I wrote to one of the companies that uses azulene in its products asking about the effects of azulene, I got this response:

Deep blue essential oil from the German Chamomile. Soothes, calms, detoxifies tissue. Also an anti-inflammatory. We use it to help slow down the over production of oil in the skin as well as the above uses.