Re: The rusting of iron

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

Date: Fri, 04 Jun 2004 01:15:27 GMT

On Thu, 03 Jun 2004 04:17:09 +0100, Dirk Bruere at Neopax
<dirk@neopax.com> wrote:

>> 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.
>
>That does not explain the smell of metal that have not been touched.

The point I was making is that the hypothesis of "metallic smell"
being due to the oxide is not consistent with the facts, which are
that a large piece of rusty iron or steel has little if any smell,
whereas handling a piece of iron or steel will often cause a very
distinct and characteristic smell. But these are impressions; I have
not done rigorous control experiments.

Steve Turner

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