Thioacetone is the world's stinkiest substance

Thioacetone is considered one of the most dangeroussubstances in the world. It cannot cause an explosion or poisoning, but it can cause people to vomit or even lose consciousness. The fact is that this chemical compound very quickly evaporates in the air and emits a terrible stench, with which hardly anything can be compared. Scientists first received it at the end of the 19th century and almost immediately decided to stop their scientific work - the stench was unbearable and spread throughout the city. One would think that this substance is great for use as a chemical weapon, but in reality everything is not so simple and in the military sphere it is practically useless. Let's see how scientists first created thioacetone, what were the consequences of this experiment, and in what other experiments was it used? At the same time, we will find out why it cannot be used for military purposes.

There is a liquid that makes everyone sick.

Thioacetone Formula

We will not go into details and justLet us understand that the thioacetone formula is very simple and looks like this: CH3-CS-CH3. The liquid is based on only three constituents and has an orange-red color. When obtaining it, it is important to use sealed vessels, because the liquid evaporates quickly and reaches the olfactory organs of people within a radius of hundreds (and maybe thousands) of meters. No one can describe the smell of thioacetone because it induces vomiting almost immediately. Most likely, neither the stench of skunks, nor the "aromas" of the Rafflesia Arnold plant, which I talked about in this article, can compare with this smell.

The stench of a skunk, by the way, is similar to the smell of rotten eggs.

Getting thioacetone

For the first time, thioacetone was obtained as a result of worksGerman chemists E. Baumann and E. Fromm in 1889. Of course, they were engaged in the synthesis of the stinking substance in an ordinary laboratory and without insulating materials. The case took place in the German city of Freiburg, and after receiving the substance, a terrible smell spread throughout the settlement. If you believe historical documents, people were sick even on the outskirts of the city, and in fact its area is more than 150 square kilometers. Due to the outbreak of panic, the authorities evacuated residents to their dachas, but, fortunately, the substance quickly evaporated and the terrible smell disappeared.

Freiburg was once evacuated due to a terrible smell

Second major attempt to get the stinkiestthe world's liquid was taken in 1967. The Oxford researchers decided not to make the mistakes of their predecessors and prepared well. Their laboratory was more secure, they were dressed in sterile gowns, and the synthesis was carried out in a flask with a strong stopper. Scientists were so careful that even the movements of the hands were done carefully so as not to accidentally break something. However, they did not take into account that after the synthesis of thioacetone, the pressure in the vessel may increase and push the plug out. This is exactly what happened, and as a result, all people within a radius of 300 meters from the laboratory began to vomit.

Scientists are in trouble again because of one flaw.

Her one situation happened with thioacetone.One day, two chemists worked with a substance and went to a diner. However, they were unaware that particles of the smelly substance were still on their skin. Sensing the terrible smell, the owners of the cafe immediately kicked the scientists out into the street.

See also: Can Scientists Recreate the Smells of Ancient Times?

Dangers of thioacetone

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, thioacetone does notlife-threatening. However, as can be understood from the examples above, the substance can cause the evacuation of an entire city. To test the lethality of the stinking liquid, one day, scientists went out of town and conducted an experiment. They put a glass table on the field with a powerful fan on it. Several groups of volunteers stood at a distance of 100-500 meters from the table. After that, thioacetone was dropped on the table and waited for the result. He was not long in coming - after 6 seconds even people standing at a distance of 500 meters began to scatter from the terrible stench. And this is the action of only one drop of the substance!

Based on all of the above, hardly anyone in their right mind will synthesize thioacetone

Fortunately, thioacetone mixes quickly.with air and loses its awful smell. That is why this liquid cannot be used in the form of chemical weapons, because there is simply no use from it.

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Finally, I would like to ask - what is the smelldo you think the most disgusting? Write your original answers in the comments, but surely many people will think about the stench from the feet first. Relatively recently, my colleague Alexander Bogdanov wrote an article about this terrible phenomenon. You can read this link.