Ive been searching for years for this mysterious “skunk”. While I can certainly see the logic with the “skunk” being a thiol, I also know that a molecule does not need be a thiol to smell skunky. There are alot of compounds that plants emit which contribute to humans perceived odor and are not terpene(oid)s, like the characteristic odorants in male armpit sweat. 2 of the three do not contain sulfur/thiol.
It may not be a terpene(oid), and it might not be a single molecule alone. When i talk of the “skunk” I mean 2 things, 1) that 90s skunk note that made a gram funk up a whole room, highly diffuse and LOUD. and 2) the undeniable odor of cannabis: found even in the crudest of crude (during heating) and the midsiest of mids (at least the smoke). This leads me to believe that what we are looking for is top note(s) and a base note(s), a lighter compound and a heaver compound. The lighter influences the aroma character (90s skunk vs cheese, vs OG, etc) and the heavier compound provides the undeniable cannabis odor which is generic, but unmistakable, generic cannabis base note.
I assume the compound(s) we are looking for have a low odor threshold and are small % of our mixtures. The heavier component could even be a degradation product(s) of something thats not volatile.
The skunk we are looking for could be a synergetic skunk, more than the sum of its parts. It could be something we just do not currently test for. It could be produced more or less at different stages in the plants growth. If it is a thiol, that should be easier to at least qualify its presence, likely more difficult to characterize the structure unless its in a database preexisting in other plants/animals.
This paper is interesting * Characterizing the Smell of Marijuana by Odor Impact of Volatile Compounds: An Application of Simultaneous Chemical and Sensory Analysis but a careful read with a critical mind will show that the method used is far from good science and should have been performed at least in triplicate. But the higher alcohols mentioned (C8,C9,C10) could be high impact, low % odorants that seem to be good leads.
I will share more as time allows this week, I could talk for days on this mystery and excited to see this discussion being held in a place where so many great minds are at the table.