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manwithoutborders: word of the day: petrichor , the scent of rain on dry earth. The term was coined in 1964 by two Australian researchers, Bear and Thomas, for an article in the journal Nature.[1] In the article, the authors describe how the smell derives from an oil exuded by certain plants during dry periods, whereupon it is absorbed by clay-based soils and rocks. During rain, the oil is released into the air along with another compound, geosmin, producing the distinctive scent. In a follow-up paper, Bear and Thomas (1965) showed that the oil retards seed germination and early plant growth. The human nose is extremely sensitive to geosmin and is able to detect it at concentrations as low as 5 parts per trillion.[6] Chemistry….so beautiful. Interesting that humans can detect the “smell of rain” at such low levels

manwithoutborders:

word of the day: petrichor , the scent of rain on dry earth. The term was coined in 1964 by two Australian researchers, Bear and Thomas, for an article in the journal Nature.[1] In the article, the authors describe how the smell derives from an oil exuded by certain plants during dry periods, whereupon it is absorbed by clay-based soils and rocks. During rain, the oil is released into the air along with another compound, geosmin, producing the distinctive scent. In a follow-up paper, Bear and Thomas (1965) showed that the oil retards seed germination and early plant growth. The human nose is extremely sensitive to geosmin and is able to detect it at concentrations as low as 5 parts per trillion.[6]


Chemistry….so beautiful. Interesting that humans can detect the “smell of rain” at such low levels

11 months ago  
 140 notes

#chemistry #petrichor #geosmin
140 notes
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    All I can think of is Dr. Who
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    Everyone that ever told me that I can’t smell rain: EAT THIS!
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    And following on yesterday’s post…
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