The featured molecules this month come
from "Chocolate: A Marvelous Natural Product
of Chemistry" by Ginger Tannenbaum. As discussedin the article,
chocolate is a natural food and is a mixture of many chemical
compounds—approximately 400 compounds have been identified
in chocolate following fermentation and processing. During processing,
a liquid called "chocolate liquor" is formed that is composed
of about 55% fat, 17% carbohydrate, 11% protein, and most of the
remainder is tannins and ash. Depending on its source, it may
also contain theobromine, an alkaloid related to caffeine, in
quantities ranging from 0.8% to 1.7%. Caffeine is found in lesser
quantities. Theobromine and caffeine are both methyl-xanthines.
Theobromine is a smooth muscle stimulant, while caffeine is predominately
a central nervous system stimulant. When solidified, the liquor
forms bitter (unsweetened) cooking or baking chocolate.
In addition to the static image, two fully manipulable versions (Jmol, MDLChime) of these molecules appear below. (The Jmol versions may take a few extra seconds to load, based on the speed of your Internet connection.)
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