Hey, chemists!

[swan_tower]

How would you describe the smell of acid? Does it have a smell? (Any kind of acid will do; I'm looking for commonalities here.)

Comments

[wshaffer.livejournal.com]

For a strong inorganic acid (like hydrochloric or sulfuric acid), while they do have somewhat distinct smells, the overwhelming impression is a very strong acridness - it's a bit hard to separate the smell from the sting in the eyes and catch at the back of the throat that you're likely to get if you're close enough to get a good whiff.

Weaker organic acids often have more distinctive smells (possibly because the acrid note is less overwhelming) and can be all over the map from fruity to putrid. (Has flashback to the undergrad lab where we synthesized a major component of rancid butter and body odor. What a rotten trick.) But I'm guessing you've got more of a strong inorganic acid in mind.