Why doesn't oxygen have a strong odor?

Question

Things with strong odors are chemically reactive, and oxygen is highly reactive. So why doesn't it have a strong smell?

Things with strong odors are chemically reactive, and oxygen is highly reactive. So why doesn't it have a strong smell?

rurikjapa: If you think the answer "Because it doesn't" gives you the right to mock others, you are wrong. At least the answer "Because God made it that way" gives a reason why something would be a certain way. "It is the way it is because it is the way it is" is just meaningless tripe. So mock away, you genius, you've earned the right!

By the way, people who's avatars wear cowboy hats ARE retarded. I'm wondering how you would know -- what did your last avatar wear?

Answer 1

The short answer is because we live in a O2 rich environment and being able to smell O2 isn't evolutionarily advantageous. Basically it would just be a waste of time and energy for your body to evolve these smell chemoreceptors but instead your nose has chemoreceptors that are more advantageous for basic survival. All mammals have the same physiology but have different receptors and in different quantities so a drug dog has been bred to have lots of receptors that are for drugs.

As far as for O2 being very reactive that is a good thought but again the physiology of animal cell membranes prevents the O2 from reacting with important cell organelles via a phospho-lipid bilayer. The smell receptor cells have protiens in the membrane that bind with ligands (smell particals) that then sends a signal via a G protien G(olf) that sends the action potential to the brain.

Hope this helps

Answer 2

But not everything that is chemically reactive has a strong odor. That's a reverse way of looking at your first sentence.

Nitrogen and carbon are both highly reactive, or volatile.

But neither of them have a strong odor. Try sniffing a diamond, which is almost pure carbon.

The least volatile isotope of oxygen, Ozone, basically formed when oxygen is heated quickly and violently, like with an Arc welder or a lightning strike, or burned out of gasoline, has a strong odor. It is not volatile enough, doesn't bond with other elements quickly enough, that it doesn't work to breathe it, even though it is still chemically oxygen.

I wouldn't recommend standing near a lightning strike but if you go near somebody doing Arc welding you will smell it almost before you see it.

Answer 3

Oxygen does have an odor. Sniff a blank piece of paper right after it comes out of the photocopy machine. Most likely you are smelling oxygen – ozone (O3).

The human sense of smell is a peculiar thing. Much harder to characterize than some of the other senses. I bet a dog could be trained to smell differing concentrations of oxygen.

BTW it is OK to select one of these answers as the best answer.

Answer 4

Because it doesn't. Saying things with strong odors are chemically reactive is like saying people whose avatars wear cowboy hats are retarded. Let's see some proof.
Kalooka: you don't understand big words like evolution, obviously.
Nishu: you're a twit, every living does NOT use oxygen, try
biology, not religion.
Jason B: you do, you just don't realize it.
SAMI: No they aren't you daft ponce. You are as bad as the rest of them.

Answer 5

It may well have an odour, but humans and animals soon become desensitised to odours and, as you're breathing it in 24 hours a day, there's no way you'd continue to notice any smell.

Remind yourself of the woman who says, "I must put on some more perfume." You can still smell it, but she can't because she's become desensitised.

Answer 6

All liquids and gases which have a strong odor are highly inflammable. Oxygen helps burning without itself burning. And we can`t breathe strong odor throughout our lives if oxygen has strong odor.

Answer 7

God makes it as it is required by the nature.. every living thing takes oxygen and I think there is no way that anyone can tolerate a odour for a life time period

Answer 8

Just tell me one thing...would you like to taste what you breath in and out of your body day in and out?

Answer 9

may be it has, but we humans through evolution learned to "not-smell" it. it's a wild guess.