The Brave Smell of a Stone

Abstract

Since it seems certain that volatile material only can be smelled, an explanation must be found for the fact that many non-volatile substances undoubtedly appear to emit odour. It is said, for example, that some people can smell sugar in tea or salt in soup although these solids are non-volatile and, in the undissolved state, odourless. (Andres, in response to the question: can sugar smell?, showed that it readily absorbs odours from sacks and other materials in or near which it may be stored and also that white sugar (cane or beet) may give off odour after storage for several months in tins or glass jars. More surprising still is the odour attributed to such materials as rocks, clay and metals (e. g., coins, turnings, filings)1. It cannot be supposed that particles of these substances penetrate into the olfactory cleft and so come into contact with the olfactory mucous membrane. Whence then comes the odour?2