Asked by Daphne

Is odor a physical property? I would think it would be, but then again odor is caused by chemicals.
Answered by GK
Odor is a chemical property because it is related to chemical composition. When a material is mixed with other materials and/or heated, and a <b>new odor </b>is detected, that means a <b>new substance </b> has been formed. Any change that produces one or more new substances is a chemical change.
Even if no changes take place, odor is related to the chemical composition of a specific substance. For example, isopentyl acetate has the odor of bananas. Inversely, if you smell bananas, isopentyl acetate is present.