Re: The rusting of iron

From: Steve Turner (spam_at_spam.net)
Date: 06/02/04 

Date: Wed, 02 Jun 2004 01:19:48 GMT

On 31 May 2004 20:51:24 -0700, farooq_w@hotmail.com (Mohammed Farooq)
wrote:

>Indeed the non-volatility of metal oxides is a valid point, but we
>still smell something "metallic" in our hands after _touching_ an old
>copper wire and an old rusted iron nail. Do you think that chemicals
>from our skin (as someone earlier suggested in that thread) form
>volatile compounds (N-, S-) with the metal which can be detected by
>our nose? Though I personally do not thnk that.

My belief is that the characteristic smell arises from the interaction
of skin oils, proteins, sweat, (etc) with either the metal or
impurities within the metal. I really don't have any idea what these
reactions might be. This belief is based upon elimination of what I
consider to be more improbable: smelling the oxide itself. Look at it
this way: the rusted piece of metal itself does not smell.

>Coming to non-metals, which do not form oxides readliy or are so
>unreactive that one can assume they would not react with something
>else in the air, do have characteristic odor, such as that of sulfur,
>or some metalloids like selenium and tellerium. What is our nose
>bascially detecting sulfur, or selenium in the air or their compounds?

I believe the compounds, not the elements themselves, have the
characteristic odors.

Steve Turner

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