Best and worst smelling chemicals

[ActionTekJackson]

I can assure you guys that chemically digested human hair has an equally horrid smell. It really seems to just sit around thick in the air. Don't ask me how I know.

Dude... you can't expect someone not to ask, I mean really... lol, so how do you know? Whats the story man? ;-)

[Mumbles]

Yeah, I know. I'm not as horrid as it may seem. No himan body digestion or anything.

 

http://www.orgsyn.org/orgsyn/pdfs/CV1P0194.pdf

 

On a much smaller scale, that was carried out in high school as an independent chemistry project. Actually happened in the AP Biology class, so I talked about it a little bit. I was working in the back while they had class. I assure you that the carbon treatment is necessary. It takes away all the smell of the solution.

 

I was heating it in the hood, but the panels were open, and it spread. They actually stopped class it was that bad.

[ActionTekJackson]

Lol, nice, you ruined those poor kids education ;-) That was an interesting read though, sometimes I wish I would have stayed in school and nutted up and did my chem work. (I got screwed on credits and had to start at the bottom again, long story)

[NotFound]

As many other people here, i like the smell of burned BP...

 

But i have a question. I heard that Ethanethiol (CH3CH2SH) stinks very bad and it's smellable in concentrations about 1 PPB.

 

Does anyone tried to synthetise it?

I was thinking if would work this reaction or if is even possible.

CH2=CH-OH + H2S --> CH3CH2-SH

 

PS.: Excuse my grammar, i'm not a native speaker ...

[srnty54]

[Mumbles]

That synth wont work like that. I don't wil know why you'd want it, it is aweful and you will probably stink yourself out of house and home, and likely get the police involved from all the neighbors complaining.

 

 

CH3CH2-Br + NaSH ---> CH3CH2-SH + NaBr

carried out in anhydrous ethanol

 

You need to use haloalkanes and the hydrosulfide salt to get appropriate reactivity. It's a neucleophilic reaction if you care to learn more.

[Swany]

Mumbles, you think diacetyl smells bad? Well, I suppose in beer, it would be rather cumbersome. I use it often to create 1,2,4-triazinyl rings (along with anhydrous hydrazine) and it smells very strongly of buttered popcorn--much less offensive than any amines or thiols.

 

I hate the smell of pyridine and ethyl amines probably the most.

 

Favorite smells? Some pyridine ethers that I have worked with smell of a synthetic fruityness, very pleasant.

 

EDIT: And for the record, if you think hexamine smells bad, go smell some diethyl or triethyl amine. Or pyridine. You will probably vomit. Hexamine smells like daises compared to those amines.

[psyco_1322]

I really dislike the smell of coated Al. That and them pretty orange crystals kinda smelt like blood.

 

Hex stinks but its not that bad IMO.

 

Barium salts smell kinda sweet to me. AP has a distinctively likable smell.

[Frozentech]

I really dislike the smell of coated Al. That and them pretty orange crystals kinda smelt like blood.

 

Hex stinks but its not that bad IMO.

 

Barium salts smell kinda sweet to me. AP has a distinctively likable smell.

I sorta like the smell of coated flake Al. Reminds me of childhood, crayons, etc...

I never sniff dichromate I do like the smell of naptha.

 

I work at a major oil field, so I hate and fear H2S, although the killing concentrations are odorless (having already numbed the olfactory nerve ). We have alarms with red rotating beacons and sirens for it, and carry portable detectors as well.

[justanotherpyro]

Cadaverine is one of the worst smelling amines IMO. I liked it when we synthesized some methyl salicylate in lab because it's oil of wintergreen.

[Frozentech]

I just came across this one, researching something else; how about ' "US Government Standard Bathroom Malodor", a mixture of eight chemicals with stench resembling human feces, only much stronger. ' A few sources claim it stinks so badly in concentrated form it actually makes people scream and violently retch when exposed, and evidently it's in the Guiness Book of Records as smelliest substance. Coming soon to a riot near you...

[psyco_1322]

I like the screaming and violence evolving from the smell of it. Wouldnt that be wierd to see.

 

Acetone and Naptha do have a pleasant smell as long as its not directly sniffing the liquid.

 

But hay, who doesnt smell there dichromate every now and then to make sure it hasnt gone sour.

[Mumbles]

Well, the diacetyl smell is somewhat due to it's surroundings. Similar to how burning/vaporized oil is somewhat unpleasant, though not extremely nauseating, or aweful. However, if that smell were coming from your vehicle, it suddenly seems much worse. The diacetyl wasn't bad because of the smell, more bad because it ruined something good.

 

Ah yes, anhydrous hydrazine, I do recall thee. Not a smell I'd like to synthesize again due to the fact that I like having my distillation apparatus not explode. It didn't the first time, but I wont be chancing it again. To me it was pretty similar to ammonia, but there was something a little sweeter about it, though not something I can really describe.

[dancutter]

My favorite is Red Gum, surprised it was not mentioned yet. My favorite pyro chem anyway. But yes, the black powder smoke smell IS the 4th. And the smell of .22 shells reminds me of being 10 years old at the shooting gallery. Worst? Cat Piss. Is that a chemical? Dan

[Sambo]

I quite like the smell of home cooked dextrin, kinda sweet.

The worst smell is definitely conc. ammonia

[brok3n]

I would have to say my worst is Formic Acid - we were making esters at school and every person in my group couldn't sniff it without coughing.

[frogy]

Ewww Formic Acid is disgusting

Hydrogen Sulfide takes the cake in high ppm probably though. The only bad thing is that smelling it also kills you.

 

Hmm, until recently I always said that RCandy smelt the best, but as of now I must change my decision to Potassium Benzoate... Mine smells like candied yams

[oskarchem]

Uhh.. RCandy, just hate the smell makes me sick.. Sodium Benzoate; don't like it, but I've never smelled K benz. I must say: Flake Aluminium 250#, but I know how bad it is for your lungs

[psyco_1322]

Just crush up a whistle rocket on the 4th and you'll get the smell of benzoate. Barium compounds have sweet smelling odor. I liked the smell of some smoke bombs so much oncce I decided to lick one, totally different taste.

[Flying dutchman]

The most horrible chemical in the world:

Butiric acid!!!

Never buy this!!

It smell like old vomit,and if you juste open the flask,you can smel it at 20meters around.

Anyway,I love the smell of CH2Cl2,and isoamyle acetate is nice too

[WarezWally]

I know those eco-terrorists (Greenpeace, Sea Shepard etc) use it to throw on the decks of whaling boats.

 

Benzene has a nice aroma, doesn't last when you realise that its carcinogenic

[frogy]

Butyric acid is just horrible, I don't really go around sniffing that stuff.... I was thinking of chemicals that I experience often... Hydrogen Sulfide happens quite often here

 

Isoamyle acetate smells delicious... We went through quite the process to make it, though the whole thing was fun... First we fermented apples (I believe apples) at a low pH to form Fusel alcohol, then we fractionally distilled that into n-pentanol, then mixed that with glacial acetic acid... Crazy how it goes from smelling like apples, to rottle mash (fermented alcohol), to 1-Pentanol, which quite frankly smells terrible, to Banana

 

Back on topic to what you were talking about... We also racted the 1-Pentanol with Butyric acid to produce Pentyl butyrate... which also smelled fruity... I think it's supposed to smell more like apricots than it did... It smelt a lot like pears.

 

What does Methylene Chloride smell like?

[Flying dutchman]

Metheline Chloride smells like the interior of a new car.

And ethyl benzoate smells like kirsh

Hexyle acetate like pear

[Niter]

Best: Camphor (used in some pyrotechnic and HE formulations)

Worst: Hydrogen sulfide (highly toxic as well)

[sarawalter]

I came across this Formic Acid 95% Reagent in an online chemical store brumer.com and I’m wondering if it is suitable as a preservative and antibacterial agent in livestock.