Q: Why does Acrylic Caulk Smell Like Bananas?
Again, maybe it is just me, and I have to admit I have no scientific proof to back it up — but isn’t there a faint smell of fruit with some caulks? Why? What in caulk gives it this, that or any other smell? I don’t know . . . yet.
If you know, please feel free to drop the knowledge in the Comment area below. Otherwise — I’ll share as soon as I know. Thank you and BMoxie BMore!
More Moxie:
It took some digging but with help from Mike McGuire at the American Fastener Journal and Lee Dougan at Phillips Screw, I think I found an appropriate enough answer to my Mini Moxie question What does the numbering on Phillips head bits mean? Check it out.
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As luck would have it…
jb, I finally took a breather to sit down and peruse a book my daughter presented as a gift some time ago. I’m a history buff and this piece by author Leland Gregory called “Stupid History, Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Throughout the Ages” is a fun read.
While flipping the pages and having a good chuckle I stumbled across this passage (page 13) and immediately thought of your odyssey to figure out why caulk has a hint of banana fragrance. I don’t know if this answers the question but it may serve as a missing puzzle piece:
“Corn oil is made from corn, so banana oil must come from bananas. Actually, banana oil is a petroleum chemical used in lacquers and glues that has a faint banana scent.”
Who knew?
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming…
Cheers,
Mike
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Outstanding Mike — heck of a find. You know — emailed a large caulk manufacturer for a comment on this. . . silence, but I decided not to pursue. trace amounts of this trace amounts of that. . . who knows — but I thought it was a fun question — with a headline that drew some eyes. . . maybe a friendly chemist might drop in one day with the answer. . until then — don’t eat paint chips. & Cheers.
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Ok I haven’t been able to put a ton of time into this, but I am starting to feel like I am a little crazy. No hide or hare of any citation to the smell of Acrylic (Acrylic Latex) caulk resembling anything near bananas, mangos or any other fruit. Maybe it was a dreamed memory. And on looking back — I remember that I have used many brands of caulk for many varieties of applications through the years. . . There is no way to know for certain if it was the caulk, or just what I had for lunch that day.
It seems in most locations — acrylic caulk is said to have low or no smell (as opposed to silicone and/or others). And let me be clear I have never found the smell of any caulk to be offensive.
Here are some references –
http://www.paintpro.net/Articles/PP402/pp402_caulk.cfm
“Acrylic caulk is ideal for outdoor applications due to its flexibility and durability over extreme temperature ranges. It also is frequently used in bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms. It typically lasts 10 years and again can fill gaps up to ¼ inch in width. It is easy to work with and it can be easily cleaned up with water. Also, there is no odor with acrylic caulk.”
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-acrylic-latex-caulk.htm
“This type of caulk cures, or dries, as the water in it evaporates. It has a slight odor until it cures, which is not as strong as the sharp smell of vinegar that silicone caulk emits as it dries. Because it does not contain oils, acrylic latex caulk can be painted over, leading some to call it painter’s caulk.”
Upon looking at a few Material Safety Data Sheets from a couple of major manufacturers, all seem to claim a similar scent for their Acrylic (Acrylic Latex) product:
A colored paste product with a very slight ammonia odor; White to slightly off-white paste product w/ slight ammoniacal odor; etc.
While components of each product varied (including elements that are considered proprietary) the primary ingredient in all seems to be limestone aka calcium carbonate, which is referred to briefly here as having a sweet smell: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_calcium_carbonate_smell_like
“– What does Calcium Carbonate smell like?”
“Well, if it’s with some sort of food coloring, it smells like a sweet/cinnamon smell. That’s just what I tested, unless I got it wrong. But I think that’s what it smells like. . . .”
It is interesting to see that most include an ingredient that helps minimize odor. In at least 2 cases Titanium dioxide is present. Again from Wikipedia – White pigment and odor control — is thus added to paints, cements, windows, tiles, or other products for its sterilizing, deodorizing and anti-fouling properties and is used as a hydrolysis catalyst.
It may also be found in cat litters.
While I initially thought I stumbled upon the answer in one manufacturer’s MSDS — I found that path ultimately to be fruitless (tongue in cheek).
Ethylene glycol (From separate articles on Wikipedia starting here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene_glycol) – “. . . is an organic compound widely used as an automotive antifreeze and a precursor to polymers. In its pure form, it is an odorless, colorless, syrupy, sweet-tasting liquid. . . .” A relative of Glycolic acid . . . “which can be isolated from natural sources, such as sugarcane, sugar beets, pineapple, cantaloupe, and unripe grapes.”
As I said though — I know not enough about chemistry to make any sort conclusion about any of this other then . . . hey maybe caulks from different manufacturers probably smell, each slightly different.
Maybe I pursue this further thru a painter’s forum or through some other related channel, but maybe I don’t.
Thanks for letting me play. jb