Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun organic chemistry A colourless gas, a thiol with a smell like rotten cabbage, found naturally in plants and animals.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Apparently the body metabolizes a sulfur-containing substance, asparagusic acid, a close chemical relative of the essence of skunk spray called methanethiol.

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

  • Apparently the body metabolizes a sulfur-containing substance, asparagusic acid, a close chemical relative of the essence of skunk spray called methanethiol.

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

  • The team had participants eat six grams of raw garlic and then tested not only for this VSC but others as well, including allyl mercaptan, methanethiol, allyl methyl disulfide and allyl disulfide.

    Dr. Harold Katz: Advice and Explanations of Bad Breath From Experts Dr. Harold Katz 2011

  • The team had participants eat six grams of raw garlic and then tested not only for this VSC but others as well, including allyl mercaptan, methanethiol, allyl methyl disulfide and allyl disulfide.

    Dr. Harold Katz: Advice and Explanations of Bad Breath From Experts Dr. Harold Katz 2011

  • In addition, the normal bacterial population of our colon (large bowel) produces a tiny amount of hydrogen gas and methane by fermenting the carbohydrates left over from the small intestinal digestive process and forming hydrogen sulfide (like the smell of rotten eggs), methanethiol (like the smell of decomposing vegetables), and dimethyl sulfide (a heavy sweetish odor).

    One to Three Pints of Gas a Day - And Not in Your Car Steve Carper 2007

  • To figure out exactly who could smell the manly-man scent of androstenone, researchers presented 400 participants with 66 different odors, including woodsy scents like pine, strong scents like garlic, and esoteric odors like methanethiol, a man-made scent that is similar to the smell of urine after a person has eaten asparagus.

    Smell Test 2007

  • They make fish inedible in a fraction of the time they take to spoil beef or pork, by consuming the savory free amino acids and then proteins and turning them into obnoxious nitrogen-containing substances (ammonia, trimethylamine, indole, skatole, putrescine, cadaverine) and sulfur compounds (hydrogen sulfide, skunky methanethiol).

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

  • It now appears that thanks to genetic differences, most but not all people do produce methanethiol after eating asparagus, and most but not all are able to smell it.

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

  • One major component of garlic breath appears to be various chemical relatives of skunk spray e.g., methanethiol that persist in the mouth.

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

  • Dried, the red seaweeds tend to develop a deeper sulfury aroma from hydrogen sulfide and methanethiol, as well as flowery, black-tea-like notes from breakdown of their carotene pigments.

    On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen Harold McGee 2004

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  • A colorless gas with a smell like rotten cabbage. It is a natural substance found in the blood, brain, and other animal as well as plant tissues. It is disposed of through animal feces. It occurs naturally in certain foods, such as some nuts and cheese. It is also one of the main chemicals responsible for bad breath and the smell of flatus. (Wikipedia)

    June 18, 2008