I passed a dead skunk on the curb this morning and the smell lingered almost until I got to work like five minutes later. How exactly does that odor manage to stay around for so long? You’d think after a few seconds you’d drive out of the affected area.
If I was wearing infrared goggles or something would there just be a mushroom cloud of stank taking up full city blocks?
I just don’t get it!
In: Chemistry
Some smells are more lingering than others due to their chemical components. Some substances particles literally clings to your nose’s hair thus you keep smelling them even if other people around you would not. I guess that’s the case with skunks too.
It’s about how sensitive you are to it – chemicals in skunk spray can be detected at concentrations of a few parts per *billion*. That means you can smell it for a looooooong time, since even a few molecules can “contaminate” quite a lot of air.
I feel like the smell gets in your car, and if you have the windows up it can’t air out. So roll all your windows down after your passed it.
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