Short alkanoic acids stink. Apparently hexanoic acid smells of goats:
Hexanoic acid, as Dylan Stiles (L:tender P:button) memorably mentioned, smells of goats. Goats! Alkanoic acids smell of vinegar, cheese, vomit, poo, and, apparently, goats.
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Hexanoic Acid (Goats, and Remember Tenderbutton?)
Category: Stinky
Posted on: August 21, 2008 11:23 PM, by Molecule of the Day
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Physical Science
Brain & Behavior
Comments
You left out Formic Acid. :-)
There's also higher weight alkanoic acids, quite a few of which are important.
As for smelling like poo, there's also indole and skatole.
Dave
Posted by: Dave | August 22, 2008 11:02 AM
Buteric Acid is the one that smells like vomit. Distinctly unpleasant. Some was spilled in a stairwell at MIT once. It soaked into the concrete and took 6 months for the smell to go away. Lovely.
Posted by: BK | September 26, 2008 8:49 PM