Welcome to the Sunday ChemistryViews Quiz!

We explore a chemistry topic in this fun and short quiz which will be out in irregular intervals on a Sunday morning. Test your knowledge and learn something new in just a few minutes.

Ready to dive in? Let’s go!

Plants communicate with each other through scent compounds—true or false? 🤔

See answer

❌ False!

It is true that one plant can release a scent compound and another can respond to it. However, Matthias Erb, University of Bern, Switzerland, questions calling this “communication.”

He explains, “Communication means that a sender conveys something with the intention of triggering a response in the receiver. While plants do release chemical compounds and other plants react to them, there is currently no compelling evidence that the emitting plant intentionally causes these reactions.” [1]

💨When Do Plants Emit A Scent?

🌿 Plants continuously release organic compounds into the air.
🌱 Different plant species emit different substances.
🌍 The composition changes in response to environmental factors such as pest infestations, drought, and other stressors.

🌿What Kind of Molecules Do Plants Release?

⚛️ Mostly small molecules with a mass between 20 and 250 Dalton.
🌸 Includes aromatic compounds, terpenes, and green leaf volatiles (C6 alcohols and aldehydes).
✂️ Released whenever the plant is damaged—whether by a lawnmower or a pest.

👉 Future Applications

Matthias Erb and his team aim to use scent compounds to interact with plants, specifically to stimulate their metabolism and create new possibilities for agriculture. For example:
☀️ Before a drought, the right scent could activate the plant’s stress response in advance.
🐛 If there is a high risk of pests, scent signals could boost the plant’s immune system before an attack.