Our nose can make distinguish between 10,000 different odors, this observation is given by Vosshall who has given this observation with her lab members in 1920 but her calculation was not correct. She again decided to test it again with her lab members. They took 128 molecules which have their particular smell and they started combining them with each other.
After that they give to smell those combination to volunteers. And each volunteers can able to make distinguish between those combination. By doing this experiment they found that human nose can make distinguish between about 1 trillion smells which really a huge number.
Smelling is sense which is done by our nose, the smell goes inside our nose with air we inhale through two openings (nostrils), after they combined together and form a single tube. That tube is goes deeper inside our nose where a nuron receptors is present which sends different signals for different smells to our brain. And our brain analyze those signals and match with stored feelings about that signals.
Why substance (any material) smells?
Every substance (material) in this world is a matter whether it is Solid, Liquid or Gas. All substance have their own kind of particle (molecule) by which it is composed of. When the particle of a substance diffused due to any physical or chemical cause it spreads in atmosphere, and when it goes inside our nose with air which we inhale. The nuron receptors which are present inside our nose sends signal to our brain.
The intermolecular force cause different in odor level of any substance. If intermolecular force is high then the diffusion rate will also high and if intermolecular force is less then diffusion rate will also less. Solid substance have tightly packed molecules, means solid substances have less intermolecular force or in other words molecules of solids have high intermolecular attraction, that's why solid substance doesn't smells to much. But this is not exact same for all solid substance. Some solids substance like camphor have low intermolecular attraction which leads to high diffusion rate.
Liquid have high diffusion rate because the intermolecular attraction between the molecules of liquid is very less, which leads to high diffusion rate in liquids. Liquids evaporate at any temperature this is one of the cause which makes liquid diffuse faster.
Gas is already in the form of gas that's why gas no need to diffuse, it is already diffused.
Why hot things smells much?
Answer in simple words :
Hot things smells much because with the increasment in temperature leads to increasment in diffusion rate. When there is increasment in intermolecular force, it make the molecules of matter unstable and the unstable molecules hit each other and makes other molecules free from that matter (Particle).
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