/oss/taxonomy/term/2292/all en /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-general-science/breath-fresh-air-hardly <p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), headquartered in Atlanta, is often in the news because of its mandate to protect the health of the public. These days it is almost impossible to have a conversation about Covid-19 without the name of CDC popping up. Of course, the organization deals with much more than illness due to viral infections. The effect of fragrances on health is also in its domain.</p> Fri, 17 Nov 2023 14:51:35 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9728 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/should-there-be-any-concern-about-working-environment-continuous-exposure-new-tire-smell <p>The short answer is that if you note a scent, some of the chemicals responsible for the aroma are finding their way into your body. Whether or not these are harmful depends on which specific compounds are absorbed, and to what extent. As always, toxicity is a question of dose. There is no doubt, however, that tires do contain some potentially nasty compounds.</p> Thu, 22 Feb 2018 17:20:02 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 6929 at /oss /oss/article/general-science-you-asked/can-baking-soda-really-absorb-odors-fridge <p><span>Smells of course are caused by volatile compounds which stimulate receptors in our nose. There is a large variety of such compounds with a great diversity of molecular structures. But many of the smells encountered in the fridge are due to volatile fatty acids. For example, when butter goes rancid, it releases butyric acid, a particularly foul smell. As everyone knows, acids can be neutralized by bases. Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a base. It reacts with butyric acid to form sodium butyrate which has no smell because it is not volatile.</span></p> Mon, 30 Oct 2017 16:55:40 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 6802 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-quackery/aromatherapy-fragrant-medicine-or-stinky-pseudoscience <p>You may believe that essential oils possess curative powers. Many websites praise the numerous healing properties of these concentrated smelly compounds, from the immune-boosting potential of oregano to the stress-reducing scent of sweet orange oil. These same websites will often provide you with a convenient way of purchasing these elixirs, of course. Why simply inform when you can sell as well?</p> Thu, 28 Sep 2017 14:18:23 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 2648 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-history/aromatherapy <p>The term “aromatherapy” was first coined in 1937 by Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, a French chemist, whose badly burned arm was supposedly miraculously cured by the use of lavender oil. Jean Valnet decided to further investigate the medicinal benefits of essential oils by applying them to soldiers’ wounds during World War II. Today, essential oils are still used for their healing properties and as a form of therapy with claims such as eucalyptus aiding in the prevention of colds and flu while a blend of ylang ylang with grapefruit relieving stress.</p> Wed, 31 May 2017 14:40:15 +0000 OSS 2514 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/why-do-old-books-smell-so-good <p>E-readers might be convenient, but they’ll never have that comforting old book smell. It turns out that the smell of old books is due to the organic materials in books (like cellulose from wood pulp) reacting with light, heat and water, and over time releasing volatile organic compounds or VOCs. What VOCs are released depends on how the book was made and stored, but common scents are toluene or ethylbenzene, which smell sweet, benzaldehyde or furfural, which smell almond-like, or vanillin, which smells like- you guessed it- vanilla.</p> Sun, 14 May 2017 02:29:25 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 2445 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-general-science/bourgeonal-odour <p>Bourgeonal is an aromatic aldehyde used in perfumery with a fragrance resembling that of the Lily of the Valley.  What’s so special about this fragrance? It is secreted by the ovum within the female genital tract as a chemo-attractant allowing sperm to locate the egg more quickly. In vitro studies have actually shown that bourgeonal odour causes sperm to swim twice as fast! That’s not all! In 2010, a Swedish study showed that bourgeonal is the only known odour substance to which males have a higher average sensitivity than females.</p> Wed, 10 May 2017 18:24:40 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 2427 at /oss /oss/article/food-health-history/s-methylthioacrylate-and-s-methyl-3-methylthiothiopropionate-and-asparagus <p style="text-align:justify">Asparagus is a wonderful vegetable. Both in taste and in its chemistry. One aspect of its chemistry has been apparent for a long time. A French book on food published in 1702 noted that asparagus causes a filthy and disagreeable smell in the urine. Benjamin Franklin had also observed that a few stems of asparagus gave urine an unpleasant fragrance.</p> Wed, 05 Jun 2013 00:45:20 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 1953 at /oss /oss/article/history/story-perfume <p>“Purple the sails, and so perfumed, that the winds were love-sick with them,” Shakespeare wrote. Cleopatra is said to have greeted Marc Antony on a boat with perfumed sails after the assassination of Julius Caesar and became the queen of Egypt. The use of perfume is mainly associated with mystery, fantasy and imagination. We wear perfume to please others, to leave a good impression, to surround ourselves with a pleasing, lingering scent. Although perfume does have a long history, it has not always carried a hint of romance.</p> Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:23:19 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1752 at /oss /oss/article/quirky-science-you-asked/what-activated-carbon <p>Many people are plagued by the problem of fragrant feet. But there are shoe inserts that claim to solve the problem. They make use of a remarkable material called activated carbon. “Activated” in this case refers to carbon’s ability to adsorb a variety of molecules to its surface. Here’s the deal. Any two substances brought close together will experience an attraction as the negative electrons of one are attracted to the positive nuclei of the other. The extent of attraction depends on the surface areas in contact.</p> Mon, 19 Nov 2012 01:33:22 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1823 at /oss