Dimethyl sulfide

Okay kiddo, do you know what sulfur is? It's a chemical element that has a weird smell, like rotten eggs. Now, dimethyl sulfide is a type of gas that contains sulfur which means it also has a bit of a stinky smell.

The gas is made up of two parts: "di" means two, "methyl" means a group of carbon and hydrogen atoms, and "sulfide" is the sulfur part. So, basically, it's a gas that has two groups of carbon and hydrogen atoms connected to a sulfur atom.

This gas can be found in things like seaweed, plankton, and some shellfish. When these things break down, they release the gas into the air.

Even though it smells bad, dimethyl sulfide is actually really helpful to the earth! It is one of the ways that sulfur gets cycled through the environment. And, dimethyl sulfide is also important because it can help to create clouds in the atmosphere which helps cool the earth. So, even though it stinks, it's actually a good thing!