Chemical

The main kinds of chemical smells

M.Ya. Zerova and David Arora single out several classic chemical smells that are reliable indicators of toxicity:

1. Smell of chlorine / bleach / ammonia:

This awful chemical smell is the calling card of one of the most dangerous mushrooms in the world, the Destroying angel (Amanita virosa). This snow-white mushroom contains a lethal dose of amatoxins. Its smell is often described as hospital bleach or ammonia, sometimes mixed with a damp cellar.

2. Smell of carbolic / phenol / iodine / ink:

As noted in a separate article on the phenolic smell, this is the main marker of the poisonous Yellow stainer (Agaricus xanthodermus). The smell gets sharply stronger if you cut the mushroom at the stem base or put it in a hot frying pan.

3. Smell of coal (lighting) gas / carbide / tar:

This extremely unpleasant chemical smell is typical of the Sulfur knight (Tricholoma sulphureum), a yellow, inedible and toxic mushroom. Thanks to this smell, it cannot be mistaken for the edible Yellow knight (which smells of flour).

Why do mushrooms smell of chemicals?

Mushrooms are true chemical labs of nature. They synthesize thousands of complex secondary metabolites to protect themselves from pests, bacteria or competitors. Some of these substances are structurally identical to those used in industry (phenol, for example). In evolutionary terms, this sharp smell is a warning: "My flesh is full of active chemicals, don't eat me".