The Curious Chemist: Substances Extraordinaire

Hey everyone!

I just found out about Steemit and I'm really curious about how this is going to turn out.

I am also rather curious about the possibilities associated with it, so I thought I should possibly try to post something myself. Given I am an outrageously curious individual that craves Wikipedia articles and science/tech news as well as a chemist in training, here are a few substances that are just otherworldly in a certain way or another.

1. Miraculin

When I first heard about this one, I assumed it was a hoax! But it exists for real! Another chemist I know confirmed it when we both checked the databases for studies involving this miraculous (duh!) molecule. It's found in a fruit called "miracle berry" (duh! again...) - and what it does is simply amazing: When it makes contact with your taste buds (those parts of your tongue that allow you to, well, taste things...), acidic foods which are ordinarily sour are perceived as sweet. Now you can eat that lemon like an orange! Kid you not! Yummy!

1. Lugduname

I know artificial sweeteners are a sensitive subject, but I find them extraordinarily fascinating nevertheless. I have always been someone who craves candy, but the bad effects of sugar on one's health somewhat come in the way. So, how sweet does it get? Guess what! A lot! I present to you this monster that comes with a sweetness of up to 300 000 times the amount of regular sugar:

Just imagine. Just one gram of this suffices to sweeten 30 000 litres of lemonade. However, since it is not yet fully understood, it is not approved for the use in food anywhere so far. But who knows? From an economic point of view, just imagine how many tons of sugar you could save!

1. Geosmin

If you are like me, you are a scent junky. Scents have something magical about them - be it freshly baked cookies, a nice perfume or that awesome smell you can perceive after rain. Speaking of that, have you ever wondered WHY it smells like that? Water does not smell after all. So where does that characteristic odor come from? The scent itself even has a name: Petrichor! And what strongly contributes to it is our next candidate:

The organic compound is produced by bacteria in the earth and also contributes to the typical taste of beets. When the soil is disturbed (like, say, a heavy downpour...), the chemical is released into the air and gets right into our noses! That even is the reason for its name: In greek, it literally translates to "earth" and "smell". The more you know!

1. 2-[2-[4-[2-[2-[2-[4-[2-[4-[2-[2,5-bis[2-[2,5-didecoxy-4-[2-(2H-[60]fulleren-1-yl)ethynyl]phenyl]ethynyl]phenyl]ethynyl]-2,5-didecoxy-phenyl]ethynyl]-2,5-didecoxy-phenyl]ethynyl]-4-[2-[2,5-didecoxy-4-[2-(2H-[60]fulleren-1-yl)ethynyl]phenyl]ethynyl]phenyl]ethynyl]-2,5-didecoxy-phenyl]ethynyl]-1H-[60]fullerene [aka Nanocar]

Last but not least, this recent developement in chemical nanotechnology is something to behold. A molecule that drives!

A planar structure of organic compounds in conjunction with four buckminster-fullerene-like wheels! Based on ambient temperature, the molecular wheels are capable of rotating around their respective axis, leading to a motion back and forth. Maybe we will have car races on a microscopic level in the near future! And we might as well bet on the result not with Dollars but with STEEM.

Kind regards and a happy future! :D