The smell of old books is the result of hundreds of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released from paper into the air. In addition to being unmistakable, this smell can be very useful to know the state of conservation of old volumes, according to a study just published in the journal Analytical Chemistry . By "smelling" the gases emitted by 72 ancient documents from the 19th and 20th centuries with a new technique called "material degradomics" , a team of British and Slovenian scientists has managed to identify 15 volatile molecules that could be good markers to quantify for sure the risk of degradation of cellulose , lignin (the most abundant organic polymer in the plant world, which gives off the smell of vanilla), wood fiber and other components of books. This non-invasive technique could help libraries and museums preserve a wide range of paper-based objects, some of which are rapidly deteriorating due to their advanced age.
Why the old books smell?
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