MY FAVORITE ORGANIC MOLECULES!

 

 

 

 

The wonderful CAFFEINE (C8H10N4O2) molecule! 

What would we do with out it? It helps us stay alert in our very early, but oh-so-interesting organic chemistry class. It's one of my favorite stimulant molecules because of its fun cyclic structure. The core of caffeine contains two fused rings, a pyrimidinedione and imidazole. The pyrimidinedione contains two amide functional groups (something we learned in lecture this week!). All six of the atoms within the pyrimidinedione ring system are sp² hybridized and planar (something we also learned in lecture this week!). In second semester organic lab we will be extracting the caffeine compound from black tea via vacuum filtration and centrifugation. It also has the same shape and size as adenosine, a chemical that will be blocked by caffeine thus preventing us from being tired.

 

The wonderful VANILLIN (C8H8O3) molecule! 

The IUPAC name of this compound is 4-Hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde. This molecule is responsible for the sweet smell of vanilla (yummy!) and is extracted from the vanilla bean. Most of the vanilla we find in our foods are now synthetically made through conversion of tyrosine into 4-coumaric acid then into ferulic acid and finally into vanillin. 

 

The blissful OXYTOCIN (C₄₃H₆₆N₁₂O₁₂S₂) molecule! 

When we fall in love, this compound can be found in large quantities in our brain, specifically the posterior pituitary gland. Not only is the composed a variety of different cyclic and function groups such as phenol, amides and carboxylic acid but it also contains several of the 20 amino acids that are crucial to human biology. 

 

The SUCROSE (C12H22O11) molecule! 

Table sugar is a carbohydrate that is made of sucrose and can be found in a plethora of our favorite sweet treats. In our bodies, sucrose hydrolyzes into fructose and glucose. Glucose is metabolized into a useful source of energy (ATP) for us to use. Fructose is the sugar we can find in fruits. Here are some interesting facts about sugar (Discovery Magazine). 

The WATER (H2o) molecule!

It is found in almost everything, from our bodies to the foods we eat. This is my all time favorite molecule because with out it, we wouldn't be able to survive. This tiny little molecule is crucial in many of the organic reactions we'll eventually learn this semester.