Even though it doesn’t come to our mind immediately when we think about it, there are smells that we inevitably look for at certain times or that we inhale again and again when we find them. As an example, we can think of the smell of soil that spreads after the rain. Or the smell of freshly mown grass can be given as an example. But, of course, the most common of these is the smell of diesel. There are countless scents like these around
. Although we will benefit from scientific explanations, this subject, which we avoid to explain in a technical way, is simpler than it is thought. Now, let’s take a look at why book fragrances are so popular.
Different chemicals in the content of the books are basically the cause of these odors. But there are certain differences between new and old book scents:
Let’s start with new books first. There are 3 factors in total that we should keep in mind when evaluating the smell of these. Adhesive used for ink, paper and binding. When these three are blended together, we do not see the same chemical interaction every time. This is due to the fact that different books are published with different demands.
Due to this difference, the scents of new books also vary. At first, these three materials we have mentioned do not actually emit a prominent odor. But when they interact with each other, they produce volatile organic compounds, abbreviated as VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds). These also begin to emit a sweet odor over time.
New books also come with pleasant scents, but rather more intense scents are found in old books. What is the reason for this?
When you look at your old books, you will often see that both the pages turn yellow due to oxidation and a more intense odor than in new books. This is due to the deterioration of cellulose and lignin in the structure of the paper in the intervening time.
As a result of this deterioration, many new organic compounds emerge and over time; These compounds, which we can list as benzaldehyde, vanillin, ethyl hexanol, toluene and ethyl benzene, emit a sweet smell.
So what do these scents look like?
Toluene and ethyl benzene emit a sweet scent, while benzaldehyde and furfural compounds emit an almond-like scent. Ethyl hexanol is responsible for an odor reminiscent of a flower. When all of them come together over time, the scent we get from old books and which we describe as sweet emerges.
Here, the factor that determines the intensity of the fragrance is the age of the book, after the chemical mixture. Because old books contain more lignin – the compound that gives the smell of vanillin – than today’s ones.
Another issue is that the scent reminds a memory or a feeling:
If you stop listening to a song you used to listen to with your ex and turn it back on years after you broke up, you go back to the old days and It is possible to relive the feelings of that time. Sadness, regret, etc. What thoughts come next is up to you. A similar situation exists on the odor side as well.
When we smell a new smell, our brain associates that smell with events, people or emotions at that time, since our olfactory system is also connected with memory. Just like our brain associates a song with a certain person in our ex-girlfriend example. If the smell we smell, especially the smell of books, is compatible with the feelings or events of that time, we can search for this smell in order to go back to those days.
In a 2017 study, a group of 79 people tried to guess what they didn’t know from their scents:
There was a vanilla-like scent from books, especially old ones. stated by most. In this study, the group trying to guess different objects from each other’s smell, compared the smell they got from the book to ‘chocolate’ the most. After chocolate, the most received answer was coffee.
We can use the explanations we make when talking about book smells in different situations such as diesel and new automobile smell. You can share your thoughts on the subject in the comment section.
Sources: ScoopWhoop, Stylist, Seeker, Science ABC
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