Which chemical class is associated with the smell of cut grass?

Which chemical class is associated with the smell of cut grass?

• A. Aldehydes
• B. Esters
• C. Terpenes
• D. Aromatics

Answer: (A)

The grassy, fresh-cut scent comes from volatile aldehydes released when plant tissue is damaged. In damaged plant material, lipids are converted into green leaf volatiles, including aldehydes like cis-3-hexenal. These compounds easily volatilize and are detected by our olfactory receptors, giving that unmistakable green odor of cut grass. Esters tend to carry fruity or sweet notes, terpenes cover a wide range of scents from pine to citrus to mint, and aromatics are a broad group of compounds often with distinctive, sometimes aromatic ring-based odors. None of these match the characteristic fresh-cut grass smell as directly as aldehydes do, making aldehydes the best fit for this scent.

The grassy, fresh-cut scent comes from volatile aldehydes released when plant tissue is damaged. In damaged plant material, lipids are converted into green leaf volatiles, including aldehydes like cis-3-hexenal. These compounds easily volatilize and are detected by our olfactory receptors, giving that unmistakable green odor of cut grass.

Esters tend to carry fruity or sweet notes, terpenes cover a wide range of scents from pine to citrus to mint, and aromatics are a broad group of compounds often with distinctive, sometimes aromatic ring-based odors. None of these match the characteristic fresh-cut grass smell as directly as aldehydes do, making aldehydes the best fit for this scent.