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Chem. Senses 26: 1015-1022, 2001
© Oxford University Press 2001

Determination of Saltiness from the Laws of Thermodynamics—Estimating the Gas Constant from Psychophysical Experiments

Kenneth H. Norwich

Department of Physiology and Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Correspondence to be sent to: K.H. Norwich, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 4 Taddle Creek Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G9. e-mail: k.norwich{at}utoronto.ca

One can relate the saltiness of a solution of a given substance to the concentration of the solution by means of one of the well-known psychophysical laws. One can also compare the saltiness of solutions of different solutes which have the same concentration, since different substances are intrinsically more salty or less salty. We develop here an equation that relates saltiness both to the concentration of the substance (psychophysical) and to a distinguishing physical property of the salt (intrinsic). For a fixed standard molar entropy of the salt being tasted, the equation simplifies to Fechner's law. When one allows for the intrinsic `noise' in the chemoreceptor, the equation generalizes to include Stevens's law, with corresponding decrease in the threshold for taste. This threshold reduction exemplifies the principle of stochastic resonance. The theory is validated with reference to experimental data.


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