the novel heptamethyl indane compound of the invention , 5 - formyl - 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 6 - heptamethylindane , can be prepared in various fashions . in the preferable protocol for preparing the unformylated moiety , 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 6 - heptamethylindane , 5 - isopropyl - meta - xylene and 2 - methyl - 2 - butene are employed as reactants . other reactant combinations include 5 - isopropenyl - meta - xylene and 2 - methyl - 2 - butene , or alternatively , meta - xylene and 2 , 4 - dichloro - 2 , 3 , 4 - trimethylpentane . the foregoing reactants can be synthesized using conventional organic synthesis procedures . the reactants can then be combined with a lewis acid , a solvent which can be a halogenated or unhalogenated solvent , and optionally , a phase transfer agent , to form 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 6 - heptamethylindane . any of the lewis acids , that is , any non - protonic compounds capable of accepting an electron pair , are suitable for use in the foregoing process . exemplary lewis acids include metal halides such as aluminum halides , including aluminum chloride , aluminum bromide , aluminum iodide , monofluorodichloroaluminum , monobromodichloroaluminum and monoiododichloroaluminum . alkyl metals and alkyl metal halides suitable for use as lewis acids in the present process are disclosed , for example , in kennedy , joseph p ., carbocationic polymerization , p . 221 ( wiley - interscience publishers , 1982 ), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference . in the subject process , aluminum halides are preferred . of the aluminum halides , aluminum chloride and aluminum bromide , particularly aluminum chloride ( alcl 3 ), are most preferred . halogenated solvents suitable for use in the process are varied , and include halogenated aliphatic , halogenated alicyclic and halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon solvents . particularly preferred are the halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons . suitable halogenated solvents include , for example , 1 , 2 - dichloroethane , 1 , 1 - dichloroethane , trichloromethane , dichloromethane , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 - tetrachloroethylene , 1 , 2 - dichloroethylene , 1 , 2 , 3 - trichloropropane , 1 , 1 , 2 - trichloroethane , monochlorobenzene , fluorobenzene , and orthodichlorobenzene . particularly preferred halogenated solvents include dichloromethane , trichloromethane and 1 , 2 - dichloroethane . as an alternative to or in combination with halogenated solvents , one may employ unhalogenated solvents . a variety of unhalogenated solvents may be utilized , including , unhalogenated aliphatic , unhalogenated alicyclic and unhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbon solvents . such unhalogenated solvents are generally preferred over the halogenated solvents for reasons of safety . particularly preferred are the unhalogenated aliphatic and unhalogenated alicyclic hydrocarbons . suitable unhalogenated solvents include , for example , the aliphatic hydrocarbon solvents n - hexane , n - heptane and n - octane , the alicyclic hydrocarbon solvent cyclohexane , and aromatic hydrocarbon solvents , such as mesitylene . a particularly preferred unhalogenated solvent is the unhalogenated alicyclic hydrocarbon solvent cyclohexane . phase transfer agents suitable for use in the process include onium salts such as ammonium , phosphonium and sulfonium salts . other phase transfer agents suitable for use in the present process will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , once having been made aware of the present disclosure . examples of ammonium phase transfer agents include quaternary ammonium halides such as methyltrioctylammonium chloride , methyltrinonylammonium chloride , methyltridecylammonium chloride , hexadecyltrihexylammonium bromide , ethyltrioctylammonium bromide , didodecyldimethylammonium chloride , tetraheptylammonium iodide , dioctadecyldimethylammonium chloride , tridecylbenzylammonium chloride , and homologues thereof having chlorine , fluorine , bromine or iodine atoms substituted for the enumerated halide atom . exemplary phosphonium phase transfer agents include quaternary phosphonium halides such as tributyldecylphosphonium iodide , triphenyldecylphosphonium iodide , tributylhexadecylphosphonium iodide , and homologues thereof having chlorine , fluorine or bromine atoms substituted for the iodine atom . representative sulfonium phase transfer agents include ternary sulfonium halides such as lauryldimethylsulfonium iodide , lauryldiethylsulfonium iodide and tri ( n - butyl ) sulfonium iodide , and homologues thereof having chlorine , fluorine or bromine atoms substituted for the iodine atom . these and other suitable phase transfer agents are described , for example , in napier et al ., u . s . pat . no . 3 , 992 , 432 entitled &# 34 ; phase transfer catalysis of heterogenous reactions by quaternary salts &# 34 ;, and in kondo et al ., synthesis , pp . 403 - 404 ( may 1988 ), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference . preferable phase transfer agents are ammonium or sulfonium salts , particularly quaternary ammonium or ternary sulfonium halides . most preferred are quaternary ammonium halides , particularly methyltrioctylammonium chloride , and a mixture of methyltrioctylammonium chloride and methyltridecylammonium chloride . the latter mixture is marketed under the trademark adogen - 464 , by sherex co ., located in dublin , ohio . in general , the molar proportions of the reagents employed in the process can be varied over a relatively wide range , the particular amount to be employed being well within the ambit of those skilled in the art , once armed with the present disclosures . for best results , however , it is important to maintain a ratio of less than one mole of phase transfer agent per mole of lewis acid . preferably , the molar ratio is about 0 . 8 to 1 . 0 , more preferably about 0 . 5 to 1 . 0 , phase transfer agent to lewis acid . it should be noted that some phase transfer agents sold commercially are sold in an impure form . such impurities usually comprise water or an alcohol species . water and alcohol , as well as other impurities , will react adversely with the lewis acid , thereby lowering the amount of lewis acid available for the process of the present invention . accordingly , where the phase transfer agent added contains such impurities , the amount of lewis acid should be increased to account for these impurities . in such a situation , the ratio of transfer agent to lewis acid might be about 0 . 3 to 1 . 0 . such impure agent - containing mixtures are referred to herein as mixtures in an &# 34 ; impure form &# 34 ;. the process can be carried out in any suitable vessel which provides sufficient contacting between the lewis acid , the phase transfer agent and the reactants . for simplicity , a stirred batch reactor can be employed . although stirring is recommended to provide efficient contact between reactants , it has been found that in the halogenated solvent , or in the unhalogenated solvent plus phase transfer agent and / or solvent , the lewis acid is able to solubilize rather quickly , thereby obviating the need for stringent stirring requirements . the reaction vessel used should be resistant to the possible corrosive nature of the lewis acid . glass - lined vessels are suitable for this purpose , as well as other vessel materials well - known in the art . the reagents may be added to the vessel in any order , although generally the solvent , the reactants and any phase transfer agent are added first , followed by lewis acid addition . ideally , the reaction is carried out at temperatures ranging from about - 30 ° c . to about 50 ° c ., preferably temperatures ranging from about - 10 ° c . to about 30 ° c ., and most preferably at temperatures ranging from about 0 ° c . to about 20 ° c . the pressure at which the reaction is carried out is not critical . if the reaction is carried out in a sealed vessel , autogenous pressure is acceptable , although higher or lower pressures , if desired , may be employed . the reaction may also be carried out at atmospheric pressure in an open reaction vessel , in which case , the vessel is preferably equipped with a moisture trap to prevent significant exposure of lewis acid to moisture . the reaction may take place in an oxygen atmosphere or an inert atmosphere , as in the presence of a gas such as nitrogen , argon and the like , the type of atmosphere also not being critical . reaction time is generally rather short and is often dictated by the type of equipment employed . sufficient time should be provided , however , for thorough contacting of the reactants , the lewis acid , the solvent , and any phase transfer employed . generally , the reaction proceeds to equilibrium in about 1 to about 8 hours . product can be recovered from the reaction mixture by first quenching the reaction mixture in cold water or on crushed ice , preferably on ice , and then processing the mixture in the usual manner for friedel - crafts reactions to extract the 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 6 - heptamethylindane compound . suitable extraction protocol is described , for example , in george a . olah , friedel - crafts and related reactions , vols . 1 and 2 ( interscience publishers , john wiley and sons , 1964 ). typically , following quenching and the resultant phase separation , the organic layer is washed an additional time with water to aid in removal of the lewis acid . one or more additional washings can be carried out with dilute alkali solution to further aid lewis acid removal . the 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 6 - heptamethylindane compound thus prepared can then be formylated , that is , converted to 5 - formyl - 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 6 - heptamethylindane , using conventional formylation technology , producing a compound having a very fine , musk - like fragrance , a characteristic which renders it highly valuable for use in the perfumery industry . specifically , to produce the 5 - formyl - 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 6 - heptamethylindane compound of the invention , the 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 6 - heptamethylindane compound can be reacted with α , α - dichloromethyl methyl ether , in an organic solvent , preferably a halogenated organic solvent such as , for example , anhydrous methylene chloride . other suitable halogenated solvents are as discussed above in connection with the preparation of the 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 6 - heptamethylindane compound . such formylation methods are well known in the art and are described , for example , in organic synthesis , collective vol . 5 , pp . 49 - 50 ( john wiley & amp ; sons , 1973 ), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference , in their entirety . the 5 - formyl - 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 6 - heptamethylindane compound of the invention has high utility in the fragrance industry . this compound can be used alone or in combination with one or more ingredients to provide a sweet , musky fragrance . for example , the 5 - formyl - 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 6 - heptamethylindane compound of the invention may be used as olfactory components in anionic , cationic , nonionic and zwitterionic detergents , soaps , fabric softener compositions , fabric softener articles for use in clothes dryers , space odorants and deodorants , perfumes , colognes , toilet water , bath preparations , deodorants , cosmetics , hand lotions , sunscreens , powders , as well as in other ways . the amount of the heptamethyl indane to be used in augmenting or enhancing the aroma of an article or composition will vary depending upon the particular use intended , as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art . generally , however , the indane is employed in an amount of about 0 . 05 percent by weight of the perfumed article up to about 30 percent by weight of the perfumed article . in addition , the perfumed composition or fragrance composition of the invention can contain a vehicle or carrier . such vehicles or carriers include liquids such as a non - toxic alcohol , a non - toxic glycol , or the like . an example of a non - toxic alcohol is ethyl alcohol . an example of a non - toxic glycol is 1 , 2 - propylene glycol . alternatively , the vehicle or carrier can be an absorbent solid such as a gum , e . g ., gum arabic , xantham gum or guar gum , or components for encapsulating a composition such as gelatin , by means of coacervation or such as a urea formaldehyde polymer whereby a polymeric shell is formed around a liquid perfume oil center . the amount of the vehicle or carrier will vary depending upon the particular use intended , as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art . however , the vehicle or carrier can generally be employed in an amount of about 5 percent by weight up to about 95 percent by weight of the preferred composition . the present invention is further described in the following examples . these examples are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the appended claims . in each example , results were analyzed on both polar and non - polar gas chromatography columns . all gas chromatography analyses were carried on capillary columns using a weight percent internal standard method of analysis . structural identifications were assigned based on gcms fragmentation patterns compared to standards . example 1 describes the preparation of 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 6 - heptamethylindane . example 2 discusses the synthesis of 5 - formyl - 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 6 - heptamethylindane from the 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 6 - heptamethylindane of example 1 . a 100 ml four - necked round bottom flask equipped with an n 2 line , condenser , thermocouple - temperature controller , and addition funnel was charged with ch 2 cl 2 ( 9 . 79 g ), and cooled to 15 ° c . with a dry ice / isopropanol bath . to the flask was then added , with stirring , anhydrous alcl 3 ( 0 . 874 g ). while maintaining a temperature of 15 ° c ., a homogeneous mixture of 5 - isopropyl - meta - xylene ( 21 . 7 g , 0 . 1466 moles ) and 2 - methyl - 2 - butene ( 20 . 53 g , 0 . 2932 moles ) was added to the flask over a period of about 30 minutes . the reaction was then allowed to proceed for about 2 additional hours at the same temperature . the flask contents were continuously stirred throughout the reaction . the reaction was then quenched with cold deionized water ( 10 ml ), and the resultant product further treated with 10 % aqueous nahco 3 and extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . after drying with anhydrous na 2 so 4 , the organic solution was rotoevaporated to give about 30 g of crude product containing about 50 weight percent of 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 6 - heptamethylindane . to a 1 l three - necked flask equipped with a reflux condenser , a stirrer , and a dropping funnel , was charged 21 . 6 g of the crude product containing about 50 weight percent 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 6 - heptamethylindane from example 1 , and 115 ml anhydrous ch 2 cl 2 . the solution was then cooled in an ice bath , and 31 . 61 g ( 18 . 3 ml , 0 . 166 moles ) ticl 4 was added over a period of about 3 minutes . while the solution is stirred and cooled , 9 . 53 g ( 7 . 5 ml , 0 . 083 moles ) α , α - dichloromethyl methyl ether was added dropwise over a 10 minute period , while maintaining a temperature of about 0 ° to about 5 ° c . after the addition is complete , the mixture is stirred for about 20 minutes in an ice bath , for about 30 minutes without cooling , and finally for about 15 minutes at 35 ° c . the reaction mixture was then poured into a separatory funnel containing about 0 . 2 kg of crushed ice and shaken thoroughly . the organic layer is separated , and the aqueous solution is extracted with two 50 ml portions of methylene chloride . the combined organic solution is washed three times with 50 ml portions of water . a crystal of hydroquinone is added to the methylene chloride solution which is then dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate . after evaporation of the solvent , the residue is distilled to give 21 . 82 g of crude product containing 53 . 5 % of 5 - formyl - 1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 , 4 , 6 - heptamethylindane . various modifications of the invention , in addition to those shown and described herein , will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description . such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims .