What is it that makes the wonderful smell after a thunderstorm?

Question

After a hot dry spell, there usually follows a thunderstorm. Once the storm hits, you get a wonderful smell (I've described it as hot tarmac mixed with meadow - but that is an inadaquate description - if you can do better, feel free).

Exactly what is it that I smell after a thunderstorm and has anyone managed to reproduce this as a scent?

I have some doubts about the idea that it is purely ozone.

Some of it could be ozone, because it is produced by traffic polution - which could explain the hot tarmac connection. Yet the smell is present when you get rain without any electrical activity.

Plus, I have worked with electric motors (And minature electric racing cars e.g. Scalelectrix) and the ozone smell there is quite different.

The rain hitting the dry ground appears to be the trigger for the wonderful odour. While ozone may play a part, there must be other ingredients.

Answer 1

"What a lovely smell of 2-decananone and actinomycetes in the air!"

Many say that the smell you describe is simply ozone created by the thunderstorm. This is partially true, but part of the smell that makes it unique is 2-decanone, which is also smelled just prior to thunderstorms. The 2-decanone is released by the rapid increase in humidity just prior to rain. This substance is released into the atmosphere by trees (along with a total of about 450 million tons of chemicals per year). Some of these are absorbed into rocks, which releases the 2-decanone when moist. Another part of the smell after rain is the smell of actinomycetes, a form of bacterial spores that the rain on the ground releases.

Answer 2

the fresh smell created during thunderstorm is because of ozone. it also comes to those sky divers when they are up in the sky.
Ionizers cannot recreate that same smell no matter how many units you
have simply because these units do not produce ozone. An ozone air
purifier can produce that same smell.

Answer 3

Obviously there is some ionization from the high voltage, but you will get that smell after a heavy downpour even if there is no lightning. I think it's probably something to do with the ability of air to transmit smells, like a previous poster suggested humidity.

Answer 4

I think it's ozone, or O_3. It's a triple bond of oxygen formed by lightning. It is reproducible under different, high-energy conditions.

Answer 5

the smell of clean air after a thunderstorm?

Answer 6

It is the smell of Ozone

really

Answer 7

Golfers tweed hats.

Answer 8

like an air freshener,soft relaxing feel

Answer 9

with me living over the rd from the north sea ..all i smell is the sea ...but its lovely ....

Answer 10

ozone