Everybody knows that scientists have an unconventional sense of humor — and paleontologists and astronomers are known for naming some of their discoveries in a impulsive fashion . But chemists and biochemist are required to mystify to a strict set of designation conventions . Nevertheless , sometimes researchers get a little freedom and give a molecule a cagey name , based on something about its chemical holding .
Let ’s take a flavour at some of the more bizarre and suspect name , paying special attention to how the molecules received those names . Some are happy accidents , others are named for noxious smells , and one is named for a investigator ’s strange compulsion withMira Sorvino . Here are ten weirdly list molecules .
Top mental image fromEnsoul on Deviant Art .
Fucitol is a happy fortuity bestowed by the forefathers of interpersonal chemistry language . The alcoholic beverage configuration of the sugar fucose , fucitol is the obvious choice based on appointment convention , and investigator resolve to keep the molecule’ssystematically determined name .
dinosaur + Chemistry = Awesomesauce . This benignant structure resembles the idle fauna of Jurassic skies , pterodactyl . Structurally , it ’s an interesting mote due to the largeamount of strainplaced on the molecule due to two-dimensional carbon rings .
This one has nothing to do with Erwin Schrödinger or his poor cat . Diethyl azodicarboxylate is often drop a line as the acronymDEADor DEADCAT ( DiEthyl AzoDiCArboxylaTe ) , classic grounds of the ironical humor some resort to in a research laboratory . I find fault the everyday inhalation of fickle solvent . utter is used in thesynthesispathway of the anti - retroviral drug azidothymidine .
conceive it or not , the white crystal 3 - methylindole is called by another name due to its putrid flavour . Skatole is ( by nature ) a component of feces and used toattract mosquitoesto study the West Nile Virus . In low concentrations , skatole is sweet smelling and used as an linear inperfume and vanilla extract icing cream .
Named after the tiny Lilliputians from Gulliver ’s Travels , Rice University synthesize these humanoid molecules asa chemical education tool . The canonical form is shown , but researchers also synthesized substitute drumhead , bringing the NanoChef , NanoGreenBeret , and NanoScholar intoexistence .
Thebacon is a semi - man-made opioid that behaves like hydrocodone . German researcherssynthesized thebacon from thebaine , a weak opioid , in 1924 , with the unusual name come from its English rendition . Thebacon is currently acontrolled substance in the United States .
A retinal protein key out for itsnimblebehavior and their affection for a certain Pokémon . Pikachurin is of some use , garnering the cover of Nature ( the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue of academia ) , and could one mean solar day be used as atreatmentfor the visual conditionretinitis pigmentosa . I ’m petition the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to name a protein holofoil Charizard .
The Tie Fighter is a supramolecule made by enclosing abuckyball in two zinc naphthalocyanines discs . The creators pick the compounding to make an unusually shape molecule that retains photochemical electron conveyance property without severalise .
Spermidineis tactfully name for the smell it produces — you could literally chase off an entire research lab with a couple mg . Spermidine is a very common laboratory reagentused in initial protein purificationsteps , mire spare DNA in answer . It ’s also great for practical jokes .
A group of researchers enjoyed Guillermo Del Toro ’s Mimic enough to name a molecule after Mira Sorvino , the female lead . In their paper detailing the synthesis , Cornell University researcher announce :
We have name compound dearly in honor of Mira Sorvino , who , as Dr. Susan Tyler in the motion picture Mimic , successfully confronted the ultimate worm challenge .
Interestingly , mirasorvone is a steroid ejaculated by the sunburst diving beetle as adefense chemical mechanism . Some researchers at Cornell really like The Mimic .
All images are from CC source or their constituent research publications . Sources tie within the article .
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