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Scents are
basically made up of specific molecules that we sense through receptors in our
nose. These molecules are composed of atoms bonded together by elastic bonds.
These molecules, along with their bonds, have the capacity to vibrate at
specific frequencies. In order for our olfactory receptors in our noses to
sense the specific scent, they must be able to somehow translate this vibration
into electrical signals that can be sent to the brain.
By Brendan D'mello
Our sense of smell is probably the one sense as humans that we so
quickly overlook or ignore.
This underrated sense shapes our lives in more ways than one and has a
far greater influence on our behavior than we realize.
Relying on our keen sense of smell, and playing a vital role in
cultures all over the world, is scent.
Scents are used in perfumes and deodorants, and the various scents tantalizingly
play with our complex sense of smell (our “olfactory” sense) to elicit a
variety of emotions.
Recent research is now shedding light on the precise science behind our
perception of different scents.
The Vibration Theory
Scents are basically made up of specific molecules that we sense
through receptors in our nose.
These molecules are composed of atoms bonded together by elastic bonds.
These molecules, along with their bonds, have the capacity to vibrate at
specific frequencies.
How do these vibrations result in us sensing the scent?
In order for our noses (more specifically, the olfactory receptors in
our noses) to sense the specific scent, they must be able to somehow translate
this vibration into electrical signals that can be sent to the brain.
Therefore, the specific vibrational energies of the different molecules
are necessary to activate olfactory pathways that are specific to that scent.
Now, if this vibration theory is correct, molecules that vibrate at
similar frequencies should smell the same, right?
This theory was put to the test by biophysicist Luca Turin.
The specific molecule that gives rotten eggs their characteristically
awful smell is hydrogen sulfide (sulfur + hydrogen).
It was found that there was one other molecule that vibrated at a
similar frequency, which was Borane (boron + hydrogen).
Does this mean that Borane also smells like rotten eggs? The answer is:
This sensational discovery gave some serious credibility to the
vibration theory, and sent Luca Turin into the commercial world, where a
company was created around his theory.
Making Life Easier
The main purpose of research into finding molecules that gave off
desired scents was to make an entire set of related molecules and then test
them to see how they smelled.
Obviously, this is a very time-consuming way of testing scents, so Luca
Turin decided to try his own method.
Since this new method depended on testing the vibrational frequencies
of various molecules, the job could easily be done by a computer, which could
test thousands of molecules in a relatively short amount of time.
When he was told to come up with an alternative to the molecule
coumarin (which gives off a highly desired scent used in men’s perfumes, but
which also happens to be carcinogenic), he went in search of other molecules
that fit within the same vibrational bracket as coumarin.
What a colleague of Turin found was a molecule that is closely related
to coumarin, but which had an additional carbon ring.
Another theory trying to solve the science of scent stated that the
scent given off by a particular molecule depends on the shape of that molecule.
If this theory had been correct, it would have meant that the new
molecule found by Turin had no chance of smelling the same as coumarin.
Luca Turin |
That is the main gist of the fascinating vibration theory, which
attempts to explain how the molecules involved in scents are physically sensed
by our noses.
As you can see, the theory has developed some credibility in the
scientific world and the subsequent research done by Turin and his colleagues
lends further support to this theory.
That being said, as is so common in the scientific community, there has
also been research working against this theory, and the debate on “shape vs.
vibration” still rages on.
It will be very interesting to see which one comes out on top.
Brendan has a Bachelors of Science degree in Biotechnology from Mumbai
University (India). He likes superheroes, and swears loyalty to members of the
Justice League. He likes to take part in discussions regarding the human body,
and when he is not doing that, he is generally reading superhero trivia.
https://www.scienceabc.com/innovation/fascinating-theory-explaining-science-scent.html
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