How the Body Works: 7 Receptors of Smell

Seven primary odors may exist from which all other smells are derived. Classification of these primary odors is difficult since its is extremely hard to achieve objective testing. One classification suggests that the seven primary odors are: camphoraceous, like that of mothballs; musky, like that of anelica roots; floral, like that of a rose; pepperminty, like that of peppermint; ethereal, like that of nail polish; pungent, like that of a lemon; and putrid, like that of sulfurous eggs. Before a chemical can be smelled, it has to be volatile to diffuse into the air. It also has to be slightly water soluble to dissolve in the mucus that coats the olfactory epithelium, and it must be fat soluble to enter the cilia of the receptor cells.

Icyou | June 10, 2008

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