• Question: what is the smelliest thing you have made in a lab?

    Asked by gabby1996 to Carol, Ellie, John, Philip, Rebecca on 25 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Carol White

      Carol White answered on 25 Jun 2012:

      I do experiments on deep sea sediments, and sometimes these don’t have any oxygen but lots and lots of sulphur in them.

      Unfortunately, sulphur smells of rotten eggs…. so most people who come into the lab assume there’s been a really nasty fart!

    • Photo: John Welford

      John Welford answered on 26 Jun 2012:

      Our labs are usually quite smell free as they are all electronics and motors. They can be quite noisy though, especially if someone is testing a very big motor at high speed!

      A slight smell we sometimes get is the smell of Ozone. This is produced by sparks in a motor as it turns. It is the same smell you might notice if you go outside after a big lightning storm.

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