How to Make Thioacetone, the World's Smelliest Chemical

TL;DR

Thioacetone, known for its extremely foul odor, can be created from acetone and hydrogen sulfide through a multi-step process. Although the YouTuber manages to produce trithioacetone, they find the resulting thioacetone not as horrific as claimed, but still potent enough to cause discomfort and panic in larger quantities.

Transcript

this video has been sponsored by brilliant.org ever since I started this channel I've been making stinky chemicals and some of my favorites have been things like putricine and cadaverine which are supposed to smell like a rotting body I've also made some other fun ones like butyric acid which smells like vomit and I've even recreated a horrible mix... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤮 Thioacetone is renowned for its incredibly foul odor and ability to cause unconsciousness and vomiting.
• 🖤 Creating thioacetone proved challenging due to limited instructions and lack of recent production.
• 🈷️ The YouTuber successfully made tripthioacetone but did not produce significant amounts of thioacetone.
• 👃 The smell of tripthioacetone, though bearable in small doses, can still cause discomfort and panic when concentrated or released in larger quantities.
• 🤬 Thioacetone's foul smell has the potential to spread over large areas, causing widespread discomfort and panic.
• 👨‍🔬 The researched papers from the incident in 1889 provide valuable insights into thioacetone production.
• ❓ Though not as horrendous as described, thioacetone retains its reputation as an extremely unpleasant and potent chemical.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is thioacetone, and why is it considered the worst smelling chemical ever made?

Thioacetone is a chemical known for its extremely foul odor, ability to render people unconscious, induce vomiting, and spread over large areas. It gained a reputation as the worst smelling chemical due to an incident in 1889 when a small amount caused people to faint and vomit, leading to a panic evacuation.

Q: How did the YouTuber attempt to create thioacetone?

The YouTuber tried to make thioacetone by converting acetone into tripthioacetone using hydrogen sulfide gas. However, they struggled to find precise instructions and had to rely on old research papers to guide their experiment.

Q: Did the attempt to recreate thioacetone yield the expected results?

No, the YouTuber successfully created tripthioacetone but was unable to produce significant amounts of thioacetone. The produced tripthioacetone had a milder smell than expected.

Q: What were the findings regarding the smell and effects of tripthioacetone?

Tripthioacetone had a bearable smell, similar to rotten fruit or sewage, but it had the potential to cause discomfort and panic when released in larger quantities. The YouTuber's friend experienced severe discomfort even when the smell was diluted outdoors.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The YouTuber explores various stinky chemicals and is intrigued by thioacetone, known for its extremely foul odor and ability to render people unconscious and induce vomiting.

• They research and attempt to make thioacetone using acetone and hydrogen sulfide gas, but struggle to find detailed instructions.

• The YouTuber successfully creates tripthioacetone but fails to produce thioacetone in significant amounts.

• They test the smell of tripthioacetone, find it bearable, but realize its potential to cause panic when released in large quantities.