Thietane is a heterocyclic compound containing a saturated four-membered ring with three carbon atoms and one sulfur atom. Thietane, and its derivative 2-propylthietane, are strong-smelling mouse

alarm An alarm device is a mechanism that gives an audible, visual or other kind of alarm signal to alert someone to a problem or condition that requires urgent attention. Alphabetical musical instruments Etymology The word ''alarm'' comes from t ...

pheromones A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavio ...

and predator scent analogues. Both the mouse and human

olfactory receptors Olfactory receptors (ORs), also known as odorant receptors, are chemoreceptors expressed in the cell membranes of olfactory receptor neurons and are responsible for the detection of odorants (for example, compounds that have an odor) which give ri ...

MOR244-3 and

OR2T11 Olfactory receptor 2T11 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''OR2T11'' gene. Olfactory receptors interact with odorant molecules in the nose, to initiate a neuronal response that triggers the perception of a smell. The olfactory receptor ...

, respectively, were found to respond to thietane in the presence of copper.

References

Sulfur heterocycles Four-membered rings Foul-smelling chemicals {{heterocyclic-stub