- Petrichor
:"Smell of rain" redirects here. For the
Mortiis album, seeThe Smell of Rain .Petrichor (pronEng|ˈpɛtrɨkɚ) (from Greek "petros", "stone" +
ichor ) is the name of the scent ofrain on dry earth.The term was coined in 1964 by two
Australia n researchers, Bear and Thomas, for an article in the journal "Nature". In the article, the authors describe how the smell derives from an oil exuded by certainplants during dry periods, whereupon it isadsorb ed byclay -basedsoil s and rocks. During rain, the oil is released into the air along with another compound,geosmin , producing the distinctive scent. In a follow-up paper, Bear and Thomas (1965) showed that the oil retards seed germination and early plant growth.The scent is generally regarded as pleasant and refreshing,Fact|date=December 2007 and is one of the most frequently cited "favorite smells".Fact|date=December 2007 In desert regions, the smell is especially strong during the first rain after a long dry spell.Fact|date=December 2007 The oil yielding the scent can be collected from rocks and concentrated to produce
perfume . However, it has yet to be synthesized, perhaps due to its complexity.Fact|date=December 2007 It is composed of more than fifty distinct chemical substances.Fact|date=December 2007ee also
*
Geosmin References
Cite journal
volume = 201
issue = 4923
pages = 993–995
last = Bear
first = I.J.
coauthors = R.G. Thomas
title = Nature of argillaceous odour
journal = Nature
date = March 1964
doi = 10.1038/201993a0Cite journal
volume = 207
issue = 5005
pages = 1415–1416
last = Bear
first = I.J.
coauthors = R.G. Thomas
title = Petrichor and plant growth
journal = Nature
date = September 1965
doi = 10.1038/2071415a0External links
* [http://www.wordsmith.org/words/petrichor.html "Petrichor" at "A Word a Day"]
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