What Causes Old Book Smell?

Have you ever wondered what causes “old book smell” – you know, that slightly-musty-in-a-good-way smell? If so, you can thank volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Which is good because it’s much easier to say “volatile organic compounds” instead of acetic acid, benzaldehyde, butanol, furfural, octanal, and (I’ll take Multisyllabic Chemical Names for $500, Alex) methoxyphenyloxime and you can still sound almost as smart. Even more interesting (‘scuse me while I indulge in a book […]