Methyl mercaptan. These words mean nothing to us. Who knows what it is when hearing these words! Two regular chemistry words that no one understands (except probably Ms. Cerqueira) that bring so much dread! We breathe it out after consuming garlic. We can smell it on others but not ourselves. If it brings a super strong scent then it indicates gum disease. (Random Fact: my dog's gums were really bad, almost rotting, and her breath smelled HORRIBLE because of this!) Some bacteria can make a person's breath vile by releasing a lot of methyl mercaptan.
Another explaination- our feet can harbor microbes that give off methyl mercaptan! But a solution for raunche smelling feet would be to use charcoal-filled insoles because the layers of carbon will absorb this repulsive smell.
Methyl mercaptan is used to make pesticides and methionine, an important amino acid.
Ladies and gentleman, methyl mercaptan... ):
So what is this methyl mercaptan exactly? You explained what it causes and such, but what is it? What is it made of?
ReplyDeleteIt's a molecule in which one carbon atom is attached to a sulfur atom. Mercaptans with 3 or 4 carbons are those we encounter when we smell a leak of gas. A mercaptan with 18 carbons attached to a chain is used as a wax in silver polishes. There can be chains of up to 20 carbon atoms attached to a sulfur atom though. It is sometimes naturally produced from bacteria in the environment. Also, it can be formed from our body protein as it breaks down under bacterial attack.
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