wat gives smell to an object..for instance when electron jump from excited state to original state light is emitted..likewise wat gives smell 2 a thing...
2006-09-05 00:23:42 · 15 answers · asked by sarath 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
a smell is just a very small quantity of the matter from the object, reaching the very sensitive detectors in your nose.
atoms and molecules vibrate all the time due to temperature, because of this some of them manage to escape in the air. And because of statistical physics they will tend to spread around, allowing you to detect them.
this has nothing to do with electrons changing energy levels - though of course when the atoms or molecules reach your nose, they will bond for a while with the sensitive detectors there, and for those bonds to happen electroncs will have to chance energy levels.
hope this helps
a
2006-09-05 00:57:24 · answer #1 · answered by AntoineBachmann 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Smell occurs in special patches within the nostrels where the olfactory (old factory?) nerves are located. Molecules of a substance are wafted up in there and if chemically active interact with cells to produce smell signals (food, lover, danger, etc.) Inert gasses have no odor. Even common gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide have no odor because there is little survival value in smelling something that is a basic part of life. Rodents have a powerful sense of smell because they are nocturnal and must find their way around in the dark (especially back home to safety). Some experts say that when the dinosaurs died out that paved the way for certain rodents to prevail and that humans evolved from rodents. That is why there is a direct connection between the rich olfactory nerves and the brain (they are an extension of the brain). Even today there remain many humans who have not evolved very far from the RAT! (right?).
2006-09-05 08:11:15 · answer #2 · answered by Kes 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you keep some water in open air, then it starts decreasing in volume. Why? Because of evaporation. So it is the property of matter that keeps on change physical states. So when the matter is in the gaseous state and comes in contact with the nose we detect smell. As we are always inhaling Oxygen from air the other particles present in air comes with it and we can detect it. So the smelling substance must have some vapours around it which escapes to the atmosphere. Generally the organic substances (compounds) are more volitile than inorganic compounds. For example; Kerosine, petrol, benzene, ethers, acetone, ethanol (alcohol), Camphor, Napthalene etc.
But the inorganic matters/compounds like: Salt (NaCl), Coppersulphate, Sodium carbonate(washing soda), Sodiumbicarbonate (cooking soda) etc does not smell. Because the partile present in the inorganic solids/ salts do not have their vapours with them. Or you can say their vapour pressure is zero.
But for organic compounds, even some solids have vapour pressure and those vapours come into air and hence to our nose and we can smell.
e.g. Camphor (solid) ==> Camphor (gas)
2006-09-06 03:01:52 · answer #3 · answered by dinu 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Smell is generated when an object or living being interacts wid its environment nd the reaction that happnes between them,like if a banana is kept outside 4 a long time then it starts smelling in that sense when any thing reacts wid something other ,then smell is generated.smell is a resultant of some chemical reactions between 2 objects or beings.
2006-09-05 07:50:32 · answer #4 · answered by tanya s 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In space can someone smell ? No. Chemicals all give off smell when attached to particles in the air we breath. We are and everything is made up of chemicals
2006-09-05 07:36:12 · answer #5 · answered by wolfs_on_mars 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
take people for example, we get our smell from what we eat. chinese people never smell because of the food they eat. I worked with a group of chinese people for a week the never changed there clothes during that week and not one of them smelled. I would have stank to the high heavens myself after 2 days.
2006-09-05 07:27:03 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It´s actually particulates in the atmosphere that we perceive as a smell. For example, your nose literally comes in contact with the substance in tiny amounts.
2006-09-05 07:26:30 · answer #7 · answered by Tristansdad 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i think thats related to some kind of functional groups in organic compounds ,, most of smells come from organic compounds..examples,, easters,, ketons,,aldahydes,, acetates,, orgnic acids,, some inoraganic compounds can smell as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia,, but also its indecate for presence of biologiocal activity
2006-09-05 07:34:45 · answer #8 · answered by source_of_love_69 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its chemicals involved in the particals which give smell
like P,S
2006-09-05 08:00:50 · answer #9 · answered by Ravitej 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
this is due to changes in the states of molecules , and our nose is sensitive to any of these changes
2006-09-05 07:47:02 · answer #10 · answered by indian_don 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋