Hendrik Zwaardemaker

Hendrik Zwaardemaker ( – ) was a Dutch scientist who invented the olfactometer in 1888.

From 1897 to 1927 he was professor of Experimental Physiology at the University of Utrecht. In 1903 he became member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. In addition to his work on the sense of smell, he also conducted research on the human heart. He found that salts of potassium and other radioactive elements stimulated the heart. His major work was "Die Physiologie des Geruchs" (Physiologie of Olfaction), it appeared in 1895.

Zwaardemaker Pairs An important contribution of Zwaardemaker's studies is the concept of odor conjugates. Zwaardemaker discovered that certain odors could be prevented from detection by smell senses when mixed with various essential oils. These combination of odors are referred to as Zwaardemaker Pairs, (or Z-pairs).

Offensive Odor Common Odor Sources Z-Pair Essential Oil Active Ingredient Butyric acid Vomit, Flesh Decomposition, Rancid Dairy Products Juniper Oil Chlorine Vanilla Vanillin Ammonia Urine Rose Oil Ionone Tobacco Cigarette Smoke Wintergreen Oil Methyl salicylate Musk Bitter Almond oil Benzaldehyde Rubber Cedar Oil Skatole Feces, Coal tar Cedar Oil Mercaptan Natural Gas Eucalyptus Oil Eucalyptol