How can we smell perfume sitting several metres away from the source?

Question

Philoid · Accepted Answer

When perfume is released from the bottle, it quickly changes into vapour because of its volatile nature. The perfume vapour starts moving rapidly in all directions because of the high kinetic energy of the gas molecules and a high rate of diffusion. And as such, we can smell perfume while sitting several metres away from the source.

Additional information:

• Volatile liquids are the substances which easily evaporate at normal temperature.

• Diffusion of a gas or liquid is the process of spreading through or into a surrounding substance by mixing with it.