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Author: Subject: Best and worst smelling chemicals?
Crowfjord
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[*] posted on 24-11-2013 at 16:21


Triphenylphosphine is pretty darn terrible. It's like getting punched in the nose by a fist full of bad garlic and something burned...

I really like the smells of fatty esters, terpenes, benzaldehyde and nitrobenzene.
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BlackDragon2712
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[*] posted on 24-11-2013 at 17:24


I hate carbon disulfide, it makes nitrogen dioxide smell like roses, also I've always hated the smell of ammonia, it's something I just can't stand.

Ethyl sulfide is also something I hate. organic acids like acetic acid. formaldehyde. gosh and bromine!!!!! damn I hate bromine!! xd!


I like the smell of phenol so much, also fructone has a sweet smell, like fruit, ethyl acetate has a lovely smell as well.

Forgot to mention hydrazine, though i've never work with it in a pure form, I've been able to smell traces of it and has a very similar smell with ammonia. it's expected I think

[Edited on 06/11/2013 by BlackDragon2712]
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BlackDragon2712
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[*] posted on 24-11-2013 at 17:33


Quote: Originally posted by TheChemiKid  
Quote: Originally posted by Saerynide  

Ethyl acetate smells nice :D Are we the only two who likes it?


I love ethyl acetate as well, isopropyl acetate is weird but pleasing as well.


So now we are four who loves ethyl acetate! It has its own fan club haha!!
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DraconicAcid
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[*] posted on 24-11-2013 at 17:34


Quote: Originally posted by Crowfjord  
Triphenylphosphine is pretty darn terrible. It's like getting punched in the nose by a fist full of bad garlic and something burned...

I really like the smells of fatty esters, terpenes, benzaldehyde and nitrobenzene.

Triphenylphosphine's not so bad, since it's volatility is so low. Compare it to trimethylphosphine or triethylphosphine.




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BlackDragon2712
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[*] posted on 25-11-2013 at 20:15


Quote: Originally posted by Amos Backstrom  
Quote: Originally posted by BlackDragon2712  
I hate carbon disulfide, it makes nitrogen dioxide smell like roses,

[Edited on 06/11/2013 by BlackDragon2712]


Ya! carbon disulfide is bad, I forgot about that, I would not go so far as to say '' it makes nitrogen dioxide smell like roses'' but it is worse.


Really?!?!? well, maybe it's because I really hate that stuff hahaha! well, I overreacted a little...
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Fantasma4500
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[*] posted on 6-2-2014 at 01:39


iodoacetone doesnt really have a smell?? its abit like formaldehyde.. pretty much because it doesnt have any real smell but just hurts

chloroform i just witnessed, i can only describe it as your nose turns into a tongue and the chloroform is like liquid sugar stoppering your nose
11/10 will smell it again
NH3 i think smells great in weaker concentrations
if any should top the scents on the good it would be freshly burnt AP and especially freshly detonated HE's
perhaps even just simple visco fuse burnt at night with fresh rain and +25*C, its just an experience, followed by the deep thump of 30g ammonal underwater, offtopic but damn.. ill never forget it




~25 drops = 1mL @dH2O viscocity - STP
Truth is ever growing - but without context theres barely any such.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solubility_table
http://www.trimen.pl/witek/calculators/stezenia.html
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testimento
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[*] posted on 6-2-2014 at 04:33


I was surprised by the smell of TCCA when I dissolved some of it into hot water to remove impurities. It fizzled and the smell was very penetrating and sharp, and it was as my knowledge related to isocyanide/cyanates. I could sort of "remember" the smell few days after that.

But I like the smell of many solvents, some of them very much. Even then I use filter mask because most of those are quite harmful.
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thebean
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[*] posted on 6-2-2014 at 10:34


I like the smell of bromine and iodine at very low concentrations. Benzene is nice-ish but I don't like smelling it because it's a carcinogen. I once was using some epoxy like substance (It was to syringes that had liquids in them that polymerize in contact with one another), and I decided to look at the ingredients. Mercaptan. I knew it smelled bad so I got a wiff of the stuff which was a terrible choice. I hate thiols.



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Zyklon-A
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[*] posted on 6-2-2014 at 11:11


Right I love the smell of iodine, I absolutely hate chlorine, and I've never really smelled bromine. (Because I don't have a distillation setup to make it).



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[*] posted on 6-2-2014 at 23:59


Triphenylphosphine only has a weak smell. I have some of this chemical and it is a weakly smelling white solid.

CS2 also is nearly odorless. I have very pure CS2 and it hardly smells. However, after some time, the smell becomes worse. It is not CS2 which gives the bad smell, but contaminants. Humid air slowly reacts with CS2 and then you get very smelly contaminants (volatile organic sulphur compounds).




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Zyklon-A
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[*] posted on 7-2-2014 at 06:25


Really? I always thought that CS2 had a very bad smell, even when pure.



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[*] posted on 7-2-2014 at 10:15


Valeric acid = terrible bad
Cinnamaldehyde = really nice smell for many weeks, nice synthesis too;)




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[*] posted on 7-2-2014 at 10:28


Ammonia smells great, it clears up my sinuses. Iodine also has a pleasant smell in low concentration - kinda like a swimming pool.
Wintergreen oil (methyl salicylate) seems to be the favorite of many.
I like pure acetic acid but hate vinegar.
And gasoline is wonderful.




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[*] posted on 7-2-2014 at 21:10


Best: Acetone, Chlorine, Kerosene
Worst: Iron(II)Chloride

So many of you seem to hate sulfur compounds but I personally think sulfur smells very good! It might have something to do with it being my favorite element :D.

[Edited on 2/8/14 by thesmug]

[Edited on 2/8/14 by thesmug]
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Mailinmypocket
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[*] posted on 18-2-2014 at 12:28


Recently made some trimethylsulfonium bromide. The stink of dimethyl sulfide is terrible. The smell is so bad I worried about the neighbors asking if I had severe gastric distress. Everything that was touched during the synthesis smells or cabbage and sulfur. I don't mind it that much myself, knowing what it is, but everyone else? Wow.
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Brain&Force
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[*] posted on 18-2-2014 at 12:49


I have no clue what causes ferrous sulfate to smell, but it's WONDERFUL...



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Zyklon-A
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[*] posted on 18-2-2014 at 13:10


@Brain&Force, Hmmm, you sure? http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=5679:cool:



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Mailinmypocket
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[*] posted on 26-2-2014 at 08:40


Bought a liter of 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide today at a health food store. I never bothered to, but decided to, smell it. Had anyone else noticed the peculiar smell of strong peroxide? It's almost like ozone but isn't, it's almost nice but is kind of not... Weird.
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ZIGZIGLAR
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[*] posted on 26-2-2014 at 18:35


I once drank kerosene by accident, now I hate the smell passionately. I'm kind of acclimatised to skatole, thanks to my lovely children producing it in abundance for me to remove from their under-pants.

I am rather fond of absolute ethanol, but a lot of distillations I've done using it as the main solvent have kind of ruined my fondness a little due to the memory of its mixing with other less pleasant odors.

I guess vanillin is probably just the best, but I'm weird like some of the other guys here who like the smell of some toxic mixtures like gasoline. I can handle the smell of methylated spirits that have pyradine in them, but keep the kerosene away ><
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[*] posted on 27-2-2014 at 09:01


Quote: Originally posted by Mailinmypocket  
Bought a liter of 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide today at a health food store. I never bothered to, but decided to, smell it. Had anyone else noticed the peculiar smell of strong peroxide? It's almost like ozone but isn't, it's almost nice but is kind of not... Weird.


I know exactly what you mean. My 35% peroxide has a smell as well. I don't know how to describe it other than it's weird... It smells slightly sharp, but at the same time it's not.

Also, for me, oxygen seems to have a "fresh" smell to it




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[*] posted on 17-5-2015 at 18:51


Amazing smell today, AMAZING. I think it might be a mix of odours. After the thunderstorm in a tube demo, I caught repeated whiffs of a really sweet, Ethyl like, lightly fruity solvent(s). This might have been a) Benzene (The Ethanol I used in the experiment was from the 60s or 70s and had added Benzene) b) Ethanol (Only a bit, it was definitely not ONLY the alcohol) c) Ethyl Acetate (Oxidized Ethanol over the last 50 years could have reacted in the test tube, catalyzed by the Sulfuric Acid to produce Ethyl Acetate) d) Diethyl Ether (I have never smelt the pure stuff, but if used by abusers, it can't be so bad. It would have been produced by short bursts of high temperature with mixed Ethanol and Sulfuric Acid in test tube) e) Contaminated Permanganate (The seller cut mine with something that smells fruity, I think). I don't know what combination of those components, or which one it was, but it was UNBELIEVABLE, like I would spray myself before getting on the bus so I could maybe get some chicas....
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blargish
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[*] posted on 18-5-2015 at 14:06


My guess would be acetaldehyde from the oxidation of the ethanol. I have gotten whiffs of it a few times before and it is a really nice fruity smell :)



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[*] posted on 19-5-2015 at 00:19


Can't go along with that. Acetaldehyde smells harsh, a bit like formalin, but not as bad. Most esters are quite pleasant and methyl salicylate is the classic "Oil of wintergreen" smell, but somewhat toxic and it looks really nice in a vial because of its high surface tension and refractive index. My favourite as I have said before is diethyl ether.



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[*] posted on 19-5-2015 at 06:32


Worst smells ....

- Cyclohexene !!!

- Cacodyl

- Pyridine

- Piperidine


Best smells ...

well you could start off with all Esters and Stuff like that. Stuff that I have worked with or am working on that would involve a nice smell:

Camphora

Benzene / Toluene / Xylene



Also not really a good idea to smell too often but not all of my coordination compounds are stable and there is always a very
small amount of HCN gas. So while changing stuff outside the fume hood
I sometimes smell a bit of the HCN ... not good, not bad but a very
unique smell that does not remind me of anything that has to do with
Christmas, no almonds or any other comparison but so characteristic
that I'd identify it anywhere.
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[*] posted on 24-5-2015 at 10:23


Don't know what chemical in it, but lithium battery has a nice smell at low concentrations, when you take it apart. It's similar to diethyl ether's.



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