The latest of the food science graphics looks at the chemistry of beetroot. An unusual effect of beetroot is that it can cause ‘beeturia’, or a red colouration to the urine, after ingestion. This is a condition that only affects an estimated 10-14% of the population, so what are the chemical compounds behind it, and why isn’t it a universal effect?
To complement the the Organic Reaction Map posted a week or so ago, here’s a reaction map looking at reactions that allow you to vary the substituents on a benzene ring. This was a far larger undertaking than expected; the bulk of the work on the organic reaction map was done in the space of a day, whereas this one is probably pushing towards three days – suffice to say that there were a lot of reactions that could’ve been included!
With it being half term here in the UK, what better use of sudden vast amounts of free time could there be than making an organic chemistry reaction map? This graphic looks at simple interconversions between common functional groups in organic chemistry. I’m not going to pretend it’s comprehensive, because it certainly isn’t, being primarily aimed at A Level students; to the best of my knowledge, all of the information contained within it is correct, but feedback from any organic chemists out there would be very much appreciated!
After looking at the chemistry of coffee in the previous post, it seemed only fair to also consider the chemistry of tea, just so all the tea drinkers out there don’t feel left out. Much like coffee, tea contains a hugely wide variety of chemical compounds, but some of the most important in terms of its taste and colouration are the polyphenols.
Mention coffee, and caffeine is the chemical compound name that immediately springs to mind. However, whilst caffeine’s effects on the brain are well documented – it binds to adenosine receptors in the brain – it has relatively little impact when it comes to the taste of coffee. Coffee, as it turns out, is a cornucopia of chemical compounds that influence its taste; whilst some of these compounds are poorly characterised, one group of compounds about which plenty is known are the chlorogenic acids.
![Organic Functional Groups [2016]](https://i0.wp.com/www.compoundchem.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Organic-Functional-Groups-2016.png?resize=370%2C208&ssl=1)
![Organic Functional Groups [2016]](https://i0.wp.com/www.compoundchem.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Organic-Functional-Groups-2016.png?ssl=1)
Today’s graphic is a little more basic, but is something that I’m hoping to eventually develop into an organic reaction map. The idea for this was to present the various organic compounds that pupils need to learn at A level in a straightforward manner, simply with the formulae, name, and a naming example of each. It’s nothing ground-breaking, but hopefully other teachers will find it useful.
