Help solve a disagreement between me and ds1 please!

[roisin]

ds1 says a gas cannot smell. A gas will only smell if something is added to it 'articially' to make it smell. (Like the gas we use to heat our homes)

If something is added to a gas, it's still a gas. Maybe not a pure/single element gas, but it is still a gas, and it smells?

Doesn't chlorine smell? And sulphur?

Is he right? or me?

I know this is the case for gas we use for domestic central heating and cooking. As far as I know sulphur etc have their own inherent smells ... but then again I may not know what I am talking about!

No, I don't think that he is right. Chlorine smells.

Something is added to natural gas so that we can detect it. but there are natually occuring smelly gases.

We can't taste or smell anything unless they are water soluble tho.....which is why metals don't really have a 'taste'

he is wrong. there are smelly gases.

smelly gases

Methane also smells.

Household gas doesn't smell and the smell is artificially added but it is still a gas

Oooh - corrected

And hydrogen sulphide gas smells, of rotten eggs!

thank you

He's normally one step ahead of me in all things science, but I was so sure he was wrong I stuck my neck out. Motherly pride restored. I will go and tell him now!

tell him about the water soluble thing, that will put you back on top!!!