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A stink bomb, sometimes called a stinkpot, is a device designed to create an unpleasant smell. They range in effectiveness from being used as simple pranks [1] to military grade malodorants or riot control chemical agents.
A stink bomb that could be launched with arrows was invented by Leonardo da Vinci. [2]
The 1972 U.S. presidential campaign of Edmund Muskie was disrupted at least four times in Florida in 1972 with the use of stink bombs during the Florida presidential primary. [3] Stink bombs were set off at campaign picnics in Miami and Tampa, at the Muskie campaign headquarters in Tampa and at offices in Tampa where the campaign's telephone bank was located. [3] The stink bomb plantings served to disrupt the picnics and campaign operations, and was deemed by the U.S. Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities of the U.S. Senate to have "disrupted, confused, and unnecessarily interfered with a campaign for the office of the Presidency". [3]
In 2004, it was reported that the Israeli weapons research and development directorate had created a liquid stink bomb, dubbed the "skunk bomb", with an odor that lingers for five years on clothing. [4] It is a synthetic stink bomb based upon the chemistry of the spray that is emitted from the anal glands of the skunk. [4] It was designed as a crowd control tool to be used as a deterrent that causes people to scatter, such as at a protest. [4] It has been described as a less than lethal weapon. [4]
At the lower end of the spectrum, relatively harmless stink bombs consist of a mixture of ammonium sulfide, vinegar and bicarbonate, which smells strongly of rotten eggs. [2] When exposed to air, the ammonium sulfide reacts with moisture, hydrolyzes, and a mixture of hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell) and ammonia is released. Another mixture consists of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia mixed together directly. [5]
Other popular substances on which to base stink bombs are thiols with lower molecular weight such as methyl mercaptan and ethyl mercaptan—the chemicals that are added in minute quantities to natural gas in order to make gas leaks detectable by smell. A variation on this idea is the scent bomb, or perfume bomb, filled with an overpowering "cheap perfume" smell.
At the upper end of the spectrum, the governments of Israel [4] and the United States of America are developing stink bombs for use by their law enforcement agencies and militaries as riot control [4] and area denial weapons. Using stink bombs for these purposes has advantages over traditional riot control agents: unlike pepper spray and tear gas, stink bombs are believed not to be dangerous, although their psychological effects can make people sick. [6]
Prank stink bombs and perfume bombs are usually sold as a 1- or 2-mL sealed glass ampoule, which can be broken by throwing against a hard surface or by crushing under one's shoe sole, thus releasing the malodorous liquid contained therein. Another variety of prank stink bomb comprises two bags, one smaller and inside the other. The inner one contains a liquid and the outer one a powder. When the inner one is ruptured by squeezing it, the liquid reacts with the powder, producing hydrogen sulfide, which expands and bursts the outer bag, releasing an unpleasant odor.
Typically, lower molecular weight volatile organic compounds are used. Generally, the higher the molecular weight for a given class of compounds, the lower the volatility and initial concentration but the longer the persistence. Some chemicals (typically thiols) have a certain concentration threshold over which the smell is not perceived significantly stronger; therefore a lower-volatility compound is capable of providing comparable stench intensity to a higher-volatility compound, but for longer time. Another issue is the operating temperature, on which the compound's volatility strongly depends. Care should be taken as some compounds are toxic either in higher concentration or after prolonged exposure in low concentration.
Some plants may be used as improvised stink bombs; one such plant is the Parkia speciosa or 'stinky bean', which grows in India, Southeast Asia and Eastern Australia. The pods from this plant are collected when partly dried and stamped on, to release the stink. [7]
Some common components are:
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Making the US Government Standard Bathroom Malodor | |
 Making a fart juice developed by the U.S. government, NileBlue. |
The US Government Standard Bathroom Malodor, said to be one of the worst-smelling substances, [8] is quoted as having this composition: (Note that this substance is a concoction) [9]
| Dipropylene glycol | 62.82% |
| Thioglycolic acid | 21.18% |
| Hexanoic acid | 6.00% |
| N-methylmorpholine | 6.00% |
| p-cresyl isovalerate (4-methylphenyl 3-methylbutanoate) | 2.18% |
| 2-Naphthalenethiol | 0.91% |
| Skatole | 0.91% |
Flatulence is the expulsion of gas from the intestines via the anus, commonly referred to as farting. "Flatus" is the medical word for gas generated in the stomach or bowels. A proportion of intestinal gas may be swallowed environmental air, and hence flatus is not entirely generated in the stomach or bowels. The scientific study of this area of medicine is termed flatology.
Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginger colored, but all have warning coloration.
In organic chemistry, a thiol, or thiol derivative, is any organosulfur compound of the form R−SH, where R represents an alkyl or other organic substituent. The −SH functional group itself is referred to as either a thiol group or a sulfhydryl group, or a sulfanyl group. Thiols are the sulfur analogue of alcohols, and the word is a blend of "thio-" with "alcohol".
Methanethiol is an organosulfur compound with the chemical formula CH
3SH. It is a colorless gas with a distinctive putrid smell. It is a natural substance found in the blood, brain and feces of animals, as well as in plant tissues. It also occurs naturally in certain foods, such as some nuts and cheese. It is one of the chemical compounds responsible for bad breath and the smell of flatus. Methanethiol is the simplest thiol and is sometimes abbreviated as MeSH. It is very flammable.
Ethanethiol, commonly known as ethyl mercaptan, is an organosulfur compound with the formula CH3CH2SH. It is a colorless liquid with a distinct odor. Abbreviated EtSH, it consists of an ethyl group (Et), CH3CH2, attached to a thiol group, SH. Its structure parallels that of ethanol, but with sulfur in place of oxygen. The odor of EtSH is infamous. Ethanethiol is more volatile than ethanol due to a diminished ability to engage in hydrogen bonding. Ethanethiol is toxic in high concentrations. It occurs naturally as a minor component of petroleum, and may be added to otherwise odorless gaseous products such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to help warn of gas leaks. At these concentrations, ethanethiol is not harmful.
An aroma compound, also known as an odorant, aroma, fragrance or flavoring, is a chemical compound that has a smell or odor. For an individual chemical or class of chemical compounds to impart a smell or fragrance, it must be sufficiently volatile for transmission via the air to the olfactory system in the upper part of the nose. As examples, various fragrant fruits have diverse aroma compounds, particularly strawberries which are commercially cultivated to have appealing aromas, and contain several hundred aroma compounds.
Air fresheners are products designed to reduce unwanted odors in indoor spaces, or to introduce pleasant fragrances, or both. They typically emit fragrance to mask odors but may use other methods of action such as absorbing, bonding to, or chemically altering compounds in the air that produce smells, killing organisms that produce smells, or disrupting the sense of smell to reduce perception of unpleasant smells.
A blood agent is a toxic chemical agent that affects the body by being absorbed into the blood. Blood agents are fast-acting, potentially lethal poisons that typically manifest at room temperature as volatile colorless gases with a faint odor. They are either cyanide- or arsenic-based.
Ammonium hydrosulfide is the chemical compound with the formula [NH4]SH.
Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) or methylthiomethane is an organosulfur compound with the formula (CH3)2S. It is the simplest thioether and has a characteristic disagreeable odor. It is a flammable liquid that boils at 37 °C (99 °F). It is a component of the smell produced from cooking of certain vegetables and seafoods. It is also an indication of bacterial contamination in malt production and brewing. It is a breakdown product of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), and is also produced by the bacterial metabolism of methanethiol.
A wine fault is a sensory-associated (organoleptic) characteristic of a wine that is unpleasant, and may include elements of taste, smell, or appearance, elements that may arise from a "chemical or a microbial origin", where particular sensory experiences might arise from more than one wine fault. Wine faults may result from poor winemaking practices or storage conditions that lead to wine spoilage.
Sulfur compounds are chemical compounds formed the element sulfur (S). Common oxidation states of sulfur range from −2 to +6. Sulfur forms stable compounds with all elements except the noble gases.
Grapefruit mercaptan is a natural organic compound found in grapefruit. It is a monoterpenoid that contains a thiol functional group. Structurally a hydroxy group of terpineol is replaced by the thiol in grapefruit mercaptan, so it also called thioterpineol. Volatile thiols typically have very strong, often unpleasant odors that can be detected by humans in very low concentrations. Grapefruit mercaptan has a very potent, but not unpleasant, odor, and it is the chemical constituent primarily responsible for the aroma of grapefruit. This characteristic aroma is a property of only the R enantiomer.
A malodorant is a chemical compound whose extreme stench acts as a temporary incapacitant. It attacks the olfactory and/or trigeminal nerves of the person introduced to the chemical. These compounds are usually composed of at least two ingredients: the malodorant compound and a carrier liquid. Malodorant compositions have a toxicity category rating of III or higher.
Butane-1-thiol, also known as butyl mercaptan, is a volatile, clear to yellowish liquid with a fetid odor, commonly described as "skunk" odor. In fact, 1-butanethiol is structurally similar to several major constituents of a skunk's defensive spray but is not actually present in the spray. The scent of 1-butanethiol is so strong that the human nose can easily detect it in the air at concentrations as low as 10 parts per billion. The threshold level for 1-butanethiol is reported as 1.4 ppb
Skunk is a malodorant, non-lethal weapon used for crowd control by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and marketed to militaries and law enforcement around the world. It was developed and is manufactured by Odortec, with two supporting companies, Man and Beit-Alfa Technologies. The liquid's strong odor is marketed as an improvement over other crowd control weapons (CCWs) such as rubber bullets and tear gas used by the IDF against Palestinian protestors. The IDF has been criticized for its tactics during deployment, including common use against people, businesses, and neighborhoods not involved in protests as a form of collective punishment.
An odor or odour is a smell or a scent caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds generally found in low concentrations that humans and many animals can perceive via their olfactory system. While smell can refer to pleasant and unpleasant odors, the terms scent, aroma, and fragrance are usually reserved for pleasant-smelling odors and are frequently used in the food and cosmetic industry to describe floral scents or to refer to perfumes.
tert-Butylthiol, also known as tert-butyl mercaptan (TBM), and abbreciated t-BuSH, is an organosulfur compound with the formula (CH3)3CSH. This thiol has a strong odor. It is considered a flavoring agent.
Dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula CH3SSCH3. It is a flammable liquid with an unpleasant, garlic-like odor. The compound is colorless although impure samples often appear yellowish.
