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Cadaverine

physical science Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Have you ever smelled something very bad? One reason for that is a liquid called cadaverine. It is a clear liquid known as a diamine. A diamine is a type of organic compound. This compound has a very unpleasant odor. It is found in small amounts in living things. However, it is often linked to rotting animal tissue.

This liquid is made through a way it works called decarboxylation. This happens to a substance called lysine. When lysine undergoes this process, it creates cadaverine. Scientists can also make it in a lab. They can use a chemical called glutaronitrile for this. They can also use a chemical called 1,5-dichloropentane. These methods allow people to create the liquid artificially.

A doctor named Ludwig Brieger discovered it. He lived from 1849 to 1919. He was a physician in Berlin, Germany. He described it in the year 1885. He also described another chemical called putrescine then. Brieger named the substance after the word cadaverous. He chose this name based on its makeup.

Cadaverine is found in many places in the body. It is found in seminal plasma. Some people have high levels in their urine. This happens if they have defects in lysine metabolism. This means their bodies do not use lysine correctly. The liquid is also linked to certain odors in humans. It works with putrescine to create foul smells.

Living things use special parts to sense cadaverine. These parts are called receptors. In zebrafish, there is a receptor called TAAR13c. This receptor has a high affinity for the liquid. This means it reacts strongly to it. In humans, the liquid fits into specific pockets. These pockets are in the TAAR6 and TAAR8 receptors.

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