The smell of earth after it rains...

Petrichor (the smell of earth after rain) doesn’t come from rain itself, it comes from the soil below it. The molecule that produces it is called Geosmin, which also makes soil smell the way it does. It is synthesized by microbes in the ground and when the rain disturbs the soil, this molecule gets released into the air. But, how is Geosmin produced? It all begins with a simple condensation reaction with ethyl vinyl ketone, and 2-methyl-cyclohexanone in presence of sodium ethoxide (NaOEt) creating the second ring. But now there is an extra ketone on that second ring, so a second step of a special reduction method is required. This involves the addition of (CH₂SH)₂ with BF₃ to create a thioketal derivative, and then desulfurization with Raney nickel.

Tags: Geosmin, petrichor, smell, soil

2 members like this

Comment by Dark Saoirse Sapphire on July 11, 2012 at 7:34am: Sensory molecules rule!

Comment by Logos Tartaros on July 11, 2012 at 7:44am: Indeed. Sometimes you can't wait for the rain, though...

Comment by Dark Saoirse Sapphire on July 11, 2012 at 8:01am: Brilliant.

Does that come in freshly mown grass scent too?

Comment by Logos Tartaros on July 11, 2012 at 8:23am: Well, it's called grass...

http://www.demeterfragrance.com/704105/products/Grass.html

Comment by Hellion on July 11, 2012 at 8:39am: Eau de muck

Like this ^ :-)

Comment by Marie Johnson on July 11, 2012 at 4:27pm: I love the smell of grass and the feel of dirt.. Especially when dirt is moist from the grass and in between my toes when I walk at nite. Makes me come alive.

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The smell of earth after it rains...

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