Mondo Knows Facts
Thiols are among the strongest smelling compounds
Sulfur containing molecules give skunks and rotten eggs their stench A thiol is like an alcohol with the oxygen replaced by sulfur, which makes the molecule more volatile and far more pungent. The nose picks some of them up at a few parts per billion. Gas suppliers add ethanethiol to otherwise odourless natural gas so leaks can be noticed. It sits in Mondo's science collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.
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Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.
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Tags: chemistry, smell, sulfur
Thiols are among the strongest smelling compounds: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Sulfur containing molecules give skunks and rotten eggs their stench. The figure is taken from American Chemical Society, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a science fact?
- Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
- What else can I read about it?
- The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.