Sciencemadness Discussion Board
Not logged in [Login ]
Go To Bottom

Printable Version  
 Pages:  1    3    5  ..  23
Author: Subject: Best and worst smelling chemicals?
The_Davster
A pnictogen
*******




Posts: 2861
Registered: 18-11-2003
Member Is Offline

Mood: .

[*] posted on 23-6-2004 at 22:01


On the topic of scents, I used to be able to smell methanol when I first started using. It had a distinctive smell. But now when I opened the bottle...No smell? Even when I pour a bit into a shallow dish and ignore the correct method for smelling chemicals, there is no smell. Need less to say I only smelled, or rather attempted to smell it, like that once.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Ramiel
Vicious like a ferret
***




Posts: 484
Registered: 19-8-2002
Location: Room at the Back, Australia
Member Is Offline

Mood: Semi-demented

[*] posted on 24-6-2004 at 01:11


I don't know of any methanol desensitization. I remember hearing that those methyl esters in sinus spray will ruin your sense of smell (you know, the gear you stuff up your nose and pump).

Come to think of it, who else likes the smell of blood? I have always enjoyed the scent - even my own blood noses smelled fragrant and pleasant. My work at an abattoir didn't dispel my love of the scent (in fact, after a dingoes breakfast and no lunch break, at the end of a 12 hour shift - those carcasses look miiiiighty appetizing!).

Anyone else?
:D

[edit - spelink]

[Edited on 24-6-2004 by Ramiel]




Caveat Orator
View user's profile View All Posts By User This user has MSN Messenger
atombum
Harmless
*




Posts: 20
Registered: 7-6-2004
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 24-6-2004 at 07:40


To me methanol has about as much of a smell as water does, I was dumbfounded the first time I tried to smell it- I had always heard of at least some odor ascribed to it.
A specific inability to smell just this one chem as was suggested? I doubt it, it's probably a consequence of a lifetime of inhaling shit. The odor of methanol is already known to be faint, chemical exposures probably eliminated what little sensory ability for this substance we are born with.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Cyrus
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 397
Registered: 24-4-2004
Location: Ancient Persia
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 24-6-2004 at 13:55


Hmm, after using HCl a lot in one day, I could not smell it at all. It still stung the nose, but smelled like plain air. It could have been that my nose was clogged, but I doubt it.

Now I can smell HCl easily. Good.

Edit- does eating Gahhlic damage the nose? My friend has a very poor sense of smell, he blames it on garlic, and says his ability to smell varies inversely with the amount of garlic eaten.:P This is slightly OT I know...


[Edited on 24-6-2004 by Cyrus]




View user's profile View All Posts By User
I am a fish
undersea enforcer
****




Posts: 600
Registered: 16-1-2003
Location: Bath, United Kingdom
Member Is Offline

Mood: Ichthyoidal

[*] posted on 25-6-2004 at 08:53


Quote:
Originally posted by rogue chemist
On the topic of scents, I used to be able to smell methanol when I first started using. It had a distinctive smell. But now when I opened the bottle...No smell? Even when I pour a bit into a shallow dish and ignore the correct method for smelling chemicals, there is no smell. Need less to say I only smelled, or rather attempted to smell it, like that once.


Everyone knows that the "correct method" of smelling chemicals is for sissys. You should always place your nose in the container and inhale deeply. For better effect, warm the substance in question to just below its boiling point. I do it all the time... *falls down dead*.




1f `/0u (4|\\| |234d 7|-|15, `/0u |234||`/ |\\|33d 70 937 0u7 /\\/\\0|23.
View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
thunderfvck
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 347
Registered: 30-1-2004
Location: noitacoL
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 25-6-2004 at 11:27


hahah

I have noticed that methanol has a fruityish smell to it. This has been routine when buying the 99.9% pure hardware store methanol. I like the smell and would drink it if I hated myself.




View user's profile View All Posts By User
The_Davster
A pnictogen
*******




Posts: 2861
Registered: 18-11-2003
Member Is Offline

Mood: .

[*] posted on 25-6-2004 at 13:59


Yes, that was the same smell and source of methanol that I had. But now I can no longer smell that fruity smell.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Cyrus
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 397
Registered: 24-4-2004
Location: Ancient Persia
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 4-7-2004 at 19:45


I can still smell methanol, but I haven't used it very much.

Has anyone else lost the ability to smell HCl for a while?




View user's profile View All Posts By User
Mr. Wizard
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1042
Registered: 30-3-2003
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 4-7-2004 at 20:36


I can't smell ammonia anymore. My sense of smell is otherwise very good. A couple of intense exposures to the gas has left me unable to detect it, unless my eyes start to water or it irritates my throat. Has anyone else had this happen?
View user's profile View All Posts By User
fangshengsky
Harmless
*




Posts: 1
Registered: 5-7-2004
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 5-7-2004 at 06:02


First come here , it's great
I like Furanone , like some sugar
View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
blip
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 133
Registered: 16-3-2003
Member Is Offline

Mood: absorbed

[*] posted on 5-7-2004 at 14:05


<table bordercolor=000000 border=3><tr><td>Like</td><td>Neutral</td><td>Hate</td></tr><tr><td>ethanol - sweet but with a bit of "sting" like isopropanol</td><td>chlorine - filled my shed with it too much</td><td>blood - way too coppery</td></tr><tr><td>very dilute NO<sub>2</sub></td><td>hypochlorite</td><td>acetone</td></tr><tr><td>clorates and perchlorates</td><td>NH<sub>3</sub> - I use it often</td><td>HCl - used to fill my kitchen with it, sometimes deadening my sense of smell</td></tr><tr><td>nitric acid - made a small amount once with NaHSO<sub>4</sub></td><td></td><td>isopropanol - too stingy smelling</td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td><td>acetic acid - slightly sweet but overall very nasty</td></tr></table>
And of course I hate H<sub>2</sub>S.




View user's profile View All Posts By User
Saerynide
National Hazard
****




Posts: 954
Registered: 17-11-2003
Location: The Void
Member Is Offline

Mood: Ionic

[*] posted on 5-7-2004 at 20:15


Bloods smells like iron. We're not crustacaens which use blue hemocyanin ;)



"Microsoft reserves the right at all times to monitor communications on the Service and disclose any information Microsoft deems necessary to... satisfy any applicable law, regulation or legal process"
View user's profile View All Posts By User
unionised
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 5128
Registered: 1-11-2003
Location: UK
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 6-7-2004 at 15:03


What's the vapour pressure of iron at normal temperatures?
More seriously, I'm sure we are all familliar with the smell of copper ie the smell you get on your hands after handling copper coins and that sort of thing. Does anyone have any ideas what the (volatile) compound(s) is that gives this smell?
View user's profile View All Posts By User
BromicAcid
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 3253
Registered: 13-7-2003
Location: Wisconsin
Member Is Offline

Mood: Rock n' Roll

[*] posted on 6-7-2004 at 18:13


Isn't it the copper reacting or altering the shape or proteins on the skin surface?

Or something like that ..... ;)




Shamelessly plugging my attempts at writing fiction: http://www.robvincent.org
View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
Cyrus
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 397
Registered: 24-4-2004
Location: Ancient Persia
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 7-7-2004 at 13:18


I always thought that the smell was H2S, IIRC there is always some copper sulfide on copper, which reacts with acids on the skin to make H2S. That is why old copper smells much more than new copper. I love this smell in small amounts.

[Edited on 7-7-2004 by Cyrus]




View user's profile View All Posts By User
chemoleo
Biochemicus Energeticus
*****




Posts: 3005
Registered: 23-7-2003
Location: England Germany
Member Is Offline

Mood: crystalline

[*] posted on 7-7-2004 at 13:31


WEll, ever tasted a bit of copper sulphate solution? It tastes/smells exactly like copper pennies, or pipes.
Hence I think our nose has some receptors for divalent metal ions, of specific types. Iron can be detected too. But not lead, not Ca, I dont know about any others.
H2S? Nah, the smell of that is distinctly different. Also did you notice that this coppery taste/smell resembles slightly SO2? I wonder whether that's a coincidence.




Never Stop to Begin, and Never Begin to Stop...
Tolerance is good. But not with the intolerant! (Wilhelm Busch)
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Cyrus
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 397
Registered: 24-4-2004
Location: Ancient Persia
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 9-7-2004 at 10:24


Ah, the wonderful realm of tastes and smells...

I have desired many a time to taste some copper sulfate, and other chemicals, but have never worked up enough courage/foolishness to taste known toxins/carcinogens/etc. puposely. I'm not saying you are being foolish, I just do not know enough about toxins, chemicals, and their effect on my body to feel safe tasting some of them yet.

I still think it's very very small amounts H2S, but concentrated H2S does smell different indeed.

Would anyone else describe this penny smell as teeth-numbing? I can feel the smell in my teeth sometimes. Also, iron makes the teeth feel good...



[Edited on 9-7-2004 by Cyrus]




View user's profile View All Posts By User
Saerynide
National Hazard
****




Posts: 954
Registered: 17-11-2003
Location: The Void
Member Is Offline

Mood: Ionic

[*] posted on 9-7-2004 at 10:28


Speaking of tasting stuff, I just tasted H2SO4 today. It was a really dilute solution that was CLEAN and that I made from MgSO4, not drain cleaner crap.

It tastes bad. Very sour in a strange way, and bitter at the same time. :D




"Microsoft reserves the right at all times to monitor communications on the Service and disclose any information Microsoft deems necessary to... satisfy any applicable law, regulation or legal process"
View user's profile View All Posts By User
MadHatter
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1346
Registered: 9-7-2004
Location: Maine
Member Is Offline

Mood: Enjoying retirement

[*] posted on 9-7-2004 at 18:30
Smells


Love: Wintergreen oil

Hate: Mercaptan and Hydrogen Sulphide




From opening of NCIS New Orleans - It goes a BOOM ! BOOM ! BOOM ! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !
View user's profile View All Posts By User
guy
National Hazard
****




Posts: 982
Registered: 14-4-2004
Location: California, USA
Member Is Offline

Mood: Catalytic!

biggrin.gif posted on 9-7-2004 at 22:54


Isn't mercaptan what skunks spray?



Poop smells bad. Whas in it?
And garbage sometimes has this disgusting sweetish smell.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Michal
Harmless
*




Posts: 30
Registered: 19-5-2004
Member Is Offline

Mood: :-@

[*] posted on 11-7-2004 at 01:57


Quote:
Originally posted by guy
Isn't mercaptan what skunks spray?


I dont know, but I do know that it's used to give gas (butane,propane etc.) a (disgusting) smell so you can detect leaks (so you dont suffocate/blow up your house :P)




Dutch pride world wide :P ;)
View user's profile View All Posts By User
chloric1
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1147
Registered: 8-10-2003
Location: GroupVII of the periodic table
Member Is Offline

Mood: Stoichiometrically Balanced

[*] posted on 11-7-2004 at 17:24


Poop,solid waste, is a complex mixture of substances based on your diet. Usually it would be undigested proteins, cellulose, starches etc. The odor is caused from Skatole. This is a cyclic nitrogen compund related to indole. Look both of them up. Many proteins have sulfur and Hydrogen sulfide is present in farts too.



Fellow molecular manipulator
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Hjalmar_Poelzig
Harmless
*




Posts: 20
Registered: 4-8-2003
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 12-7-2004 at 04:01
my taste in chemical smells


My favorite smells are:

2-hydroxy-5-methoxybenzaldehyde
p-ethoxyphenol (reminds me of pistachio icecream, and it tends to linger too)
1-octanol
1-nitropropane


Absolutely horrible are:
1. pyridine ! (this sickening smell stays in my nose for hours without getting used to it)
chloroacetyl chloride
butyric acid of course ;-) (the anhydride actually smells much better by the way)

and... hot hexane, at first the fumes smell agreeable and a bit fruity, but they also stay in the nose and become sickening.


As a reply to vulture, concerning the bad smell of blue methylated spirits. I once used this as is in a dissolving metal reduction. When finished the smell was everywhere, in my clothes, in my hair, it surrounded me like a cloud and I became very nauseous. :o
I want to bet on it that there is pyridine or a derivative in there.




<a href=http://rbenda.bei.t-online.de/ret/ret33.jpg>Der Mann mit den Röntgenaugen </a>
View user's profile Visit user's homepage View All Posts By User
Cyrus
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 397
Registered: 24-4-2004
Location: Ancient Persia
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 28-7-2004 at 10:05


I just got a really good whiff of conc. NH3 gas. (By accident)

Add it to my list of favorite smells. :)
I know it's got to be bad for humans, but it smells/feels kind of like a listerine strip mixed with oil of wintergreen. Dilute ammonia is just annoying.




View user's profile View All Posts By User
thunderfvck
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 347
Registered: 30-1-2004
Location: noitacoL
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 28-7-2004 at 23:55


Cyrus, you ARE joking, right?

NH3 blows me off my ass.

And someone mentioned that they no longer are able to smell HCl - yeeeeeeeeah yeah. I find it hard to believe something as potent as HCl is undetectable by le nez.

[Edited on 29-7-2004 by thunderfvck]




View user's profile View All Posts By User
 Pages:  1    3    5  ..  23

  Go To Top