The Complex Chemistry Behind the Rain’s Scent
This distinct aroma is due to three main chemical processes: petrichor, ozone generation, and geosmin production.1 Petrichor is the term used to describe the smell produced after rain falls on dry soil or rocks. The post-rain smell comes from airborne organic molecules mixing with mineral surfaces. When it doesn’t rain for some time, these molecules mix with other elements on a rock’s surface, releasing a combination of things that make up petrichor.2
The second chemical process involved in this unique pre-rain scent is the inclusion of ozone. During a thunderstorm, the electrical charges can heat oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere, which then can recombine into O3, ozone. Ozone has a sharp, pungent scent and is often described as akin to fresh linen.³ This smell is typically associated with the electricity-charged atmosphere of stormy weather rather than light rain.
CONTINUE READING ON THE NEXT PAGE Advertisement:
Two sandwiches and fried chicken
The Power of Onion and Ginger: Secrets to 35 Years of Health
Timeless Elegance: Old-Fashioned Sour Cream Pound Cake
Combatting Cottony Mealybugs: 3 Homemade Tricks
Is it true that a single scratch on a non-stick pan releases 9,000 microplastic particles, and a broken coating releases over 2 million?
He Calling Her “N0t A G00d Pers0n”
Automatic Vegetable Waterer
‘It’s Time to Get Divorced!’: The Message on My Anniversary Cake Led Me to a Sh0cking Truth
What’s Got Everyone Buzzing About the Confusing ‘Woman in a Boat’ Puzzle?