Welcome to the Sunday ChemistryViews Quiz!

We explore a chemistry topic in this fun and short quiz which will be out in irregular intervals on a Sunday morning. Test your knowledge and learn something new in just a few minutes.

Ready to dive in? Let’s go!

Someone who produces urine with the typical asparagus smell after eating asparagus can also detect that smell—true or false? 🤔

See answer

❌ False!

👃🧬 The ability to smell asparagus urine and the ability to produce it are both hereditary, but they are independent of each other. This means that someone can produce the odor without being able to smell it, and vice versa.

🤔Which Compounds are Responsible for the Distinctive Smell?

🍽️ When asparagus is digested, assumingly asparagusic acid (1,2-dithiolane-4-carboxylic acid) is metabolized into sulfur-containing byproducts, which are responsible for the distinctive odor:
      💨💨 methanethiol CH₃-S-H
      💨💨 dimethyl sulfide CH₃-S-CH₃
      💨 dimethyl disulfide CH₃-S-S-CH₃
      💨 dimethyl sulfoxide CH₃-S(=O)-CH₃
      💨 dimethyl sulfone CH₃-S(=O)₂-CH₃

👉 Fun Fact

🌿 Asparagus is the only vegetable that can synthesize asparagusic acid and its derivatives
🎯 Together with other hormones it:
🌱 stimulates the growth of the shoot and
🚫 inhibits the growth of other plants