kingdrawcse

[kingdrawcse]

The chemistry behind The Greenbird Flower

The Greenbird Flower (Crotalaria cunninghamii), native to Australia, attracts pollinators with its bird-like green blooms. It contains toxic PAs—monocrotaline (MCT), Retrorsine, and Retronecine—which were once used medicinally but are now known for their hepatotoxic and genotoxic effects, prompting health and safety regulations.

[kingdrawcse]

The chemistry behind Greenland shark

The Greenland shark, found off Greenland and Iceland, is among the largest and longest-lived sharks, reaching over 7 meters and living 250-500 years. Its slow metabolism and growth—growing 1 cm annually and maturing at 150—contribute to its longevity. It's also highly toxic, with high urea and TMAO levels, making it unsafe to eat raw. Icelanders ferment it into "Hákarl," which has a strong, pungent odor due to ammonia and trimethylamine production.

[kingdrawcse]

Biginelli Reaction

[kingdrawcse]

The chemistry behind the swimming pool

Swimming pools often use chlorinated disinfectants such as sodium hypochlorite for sanitation. The "chlorine" smell we detect near pools is commonly thought to be from the disinfectant itself, but it actually comes from "monochloramine." Chlorine disinfectants release free chlorine (hypochlorous acid, hypochlorite ions, elemental chlorine, etc.) in water, which reacts with organic matter from human urine and sweat to form volatile monochloramine with a slight chlorine odor. The higher the concentration of urine and sweat in the water, the stronger the smell. Thus, a strong chlorine odor in a swimming pool suggests someone has been adding "extras" to the pool. Monochloramine can be irritating, causing respiratory symptoms like coughing. Studies show that long-term exposure to monochloramine can lead to respiratory diseases like asthma among swimmers, which is one reason professional swimmers may develop asthma.

[kingdrawcse]

The chemistry behind Resurrection Plant

Selaginella lepidophylla, a small fern belonging to the family Selaginellaceae and genus Selaginella, is native to the Chihuahuan Desert in northern Mexico and southwestern United States. This unique plant is renowned for its survival strategy during extreme droughts—curling its fronds and forming a ball to enter a dormant state. It can survive for several years after losing up to 95% of its water content. Upon rehydration, the dried fronds reopen within hours and gradually regain their green color.

Selaginella lepidophylla is thus also known as the "resurrection plant" or "comeback plant." Research has found that synthesizing "D-trehalose" during dormancy is key to its revival. High salinity and dryness create a hyperosmotic environment, and trehalose acts as a compatible solute, replacing evaporated water to prevent excessive salt damage and maintain cell viability. When water returns to the plant tissues, the sugar crystals dissolve, and the plant's metabolism is reactivated.

[kingdrawcse]

Chemistry behind handles

When we touch iron or steel alloy railings and handles, we often smell a "metallic odor." Commonly, people believe this smell comes from the metal itself. In fact, this metallic smell comes from us! The lipid substances on our skin can form "lipid peroxides" through oxidation. When touching iron products, lipid peroxides undergo decomposition and reduction reactions catalyzed by ferrous ions, producing "1-octen-3-one (OEO)," which has a strong metal and mushroom-like odor. This is the main compound causing the "metallic smell." The olfactory threshold of 1-octen-3-one is 0.03-1.12 μg/m3, and it is volatile, so even at very low concentrations, we can clearly smell this odor. Moreover, the smell is more intense when more sweat is on the hands. When we touch coins or metal keys, we can smell the metallic flavor because the copper and zinc ions in these metal products can also trigger this reaction. Aluminum products hardly produce a metallic odor.

[kingdrawcse]

Bischler-Napieralski Reaction

[kingdrawcse]

Birch Reduction

[kingdrawcse]

Chemistry behind Syphilis

Syphilis, a bacterial STD, was likely brought to Europe by Columbus. Before antibiotics, mercury was used to treat it. In 1907, Alfred Bertheim made Salvarsan, an effective syphilis drug. In 1917, Julius Wagner-Jauregg used malaria to treat advanced syphilis, earning a Nobel Prize. Penicillin revolutionized syphilis treatment in the 1940s.

[kingdrawcse]

Chemistry behind matches

In the 20th century, matches were a necessity in our daily lives. The earliest friction matches were invented in 1826 by British chemist and pharmacist John Walker. The match heads were made from a mixture of antimony sulfide, potassium chlorate, gum, and starch, which would ignite when scraped on sandpaper. To increase the stability of matches, in 1930 French chemist Charles Sauria replaced antimony sulfide with white phosphorus, a formula that was quickly popularized. However, white phosphorus also brought more serious problems—it could spontaneously ignite at a room temperature of 34°C and was highly toxic, leading to severe occupational diseases among match factory workers known as "phossy jaw," where their jaws would ulcerate and perforate.

In 1844, Swedish inventor Gustaf Erik Pasch replaced white phosphorus with the safer and more stable red phosphorus, inventing the "safety match." Red phosphorus was applied to the side of the matchbox, separated from the oxidizers like potassium chlorate on the match head. Therefore, the match would only ignite when rubbed on the specially designed phosphorus surface, greatly enhancing safety and accelerating the popularization of matches. However, due to high costs, safety matches were not mass-produced until a decade later.

[kingdrawcse]

Arbuzov Reaction

#namereaction #KingDraw

[kingdrawcse]

Cadiot-Chodkiewicz Coupling

#namereaction #KingDraw

[kingdrawcse]

Appel Reaction

[kingdrawcse]

The chemistry behind falling leaves

The season of falling leaves is a self-preservation strategy for trees. As autumn brings cooler temperatures, reduced sunlight, and less precipitation and soil moisture, trees prepare for winter by cutting nutrients to leaves and using hormones to make them fall. In 1963, scientists first isolated "abscisic acid" in cotton, thinking it sped leaf drop, hence its name. Further studies revealed it as a vital hormone in plant growth and stress response, like keeping seeds dormant and regulating stomata for water balance, especially in drought, salinity, and cold. However, abscisic acid's role in leaf fall is less significant than thought. Actually, "auxin (Indole-3-acetic acid)" and "ethylene" are key regulators in leaf abscission signaling.

[kingdrawcse]

The chemistry behind Chinese lacquer tree

The lacquer tree, from Asia, produces "raw lacquer" with urushiol, a key ingredient for lacquerware. This natural coating forms a protective, heat- and corrosion-resistant film. However, urushiol is a potent allergen, causing severe reactions, especially with longer, unsaturated hydrocarbon chains.

[kingdrawcse]

Yamaguchi Esterigication

#namereaction #KingDraw

[kingdrawcse]

Haloform Reaction