Скачать или смотреть Why Does Money Have That Distinct Smell?

It's true: US currency has a smell. Join Jonathan as he explores the science behind the dollar's unique aroma (and why you might want to wash your hands after handling cash).

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Do you have a dollar handy? I’d like you to take a sniff – don’t actually touch your nose to it, though. You’ll see why in a second. In 2013, the Federal Mint produced one billion, 792 million of these little guys. And each has a distinctive smell. But why? Where does that smell of money come from?

First, let’s look at the components of a typical greenback. You’ll hear people call this “paper money”, but that’s a little misleading.

US currency is primarily made of cotton, linen, and different types of ink. Cotton and linen have light scents, so experts like Columbia’s Stuart Firestein believe the ink itself is responsible for that “new money” smell.

There’s some pretty good evidence for this, too – Argentina has trained dogs to sniff out this ink smell and catch smugglers. When Joseph Stetter and his colleagues at KWJ Engineering began building the first “money-sniffing” machine, they used gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to hunt for the smell of cash.

What did they find? Apparently that unique fragrance is produced “from a set of trace chemicals, including aldehydes, furans and organic acids.” These were found in tiny amounts, and Stetter believes that the precise source of the new money smell may never be published in a scientific journal, due to concerns about security and counterfeiters.

But what about bucks that aren’t new?

Remember when I told you not to put your nose on the lettuce? That’s because money is, on average, filthy. See, the fibers making up each dollar bill are surprisingly absorbent, which can make it pretty dirty. A solid majority of US cash is tainted with cocaine, fecal matter, bacteria, sweat, snot and more. The cotton and linen blend that makes up money absorbs odors, both good and bad.

But of all the scents money can pick up in its journey from one dirty hand to another, nothing quite matches the fragrance of freshly-printed, new dollars. Some companies have even experimented with piping an artificially created new money odor into air ducts to motivate workers.

And coins can have a smell of their own, too – but that’s a story for a different day.

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