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Monday, June 25, 2007

Monday's Molecule #32

 
Today's molecule is very simple. We don't need a long complicated name this time; the short common name will do. (But you're welcome to supply the IUPAC name if you know it.) The trick here is to recognize why this molecular is important and then connect it to Wednesday's Nobel Laureate(s).

Here's a hint; with hindsight, this is probably one of the most undeserving Nobel Prizes in the biological sciences.

The reward (free lunch) goes to the person who correctly identifies the molecule and the Nobel Laureate(s). Previous free lunch winners are ineligible for one month from the time they first collected the prize. There's only one (Marc) ineligible candidates for this Wednesday's reward since many recent winners haven't collected their prize. The prize is a free lunch at the Faculty Club. I've been eating there a lot recently because we've had many meeting concerning an upcoming big event at the Faculty Club on this Friday evening. (My daughter, Jane, is getting married.)

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3 comments :

MDPerry said...

It looks like fumarate to me; one of the key intermediaries of the Krebs' or Citric acid cycle which generates reducing power for the cell (as I recall). So an obvious pick for the Nobel would be Sir Hans Krebs--but for some reason I think he was already picked some time ago in this space. Leading me to my second choice: Szent-Gyorgy. It will be interesting (as usual) to see the explanation behind Larry's comments regarding the awarding of this Nobel Prize. Since I won last week I am ineligible to win the free lunch at the U. of T. faculty club this week :-(. Therefore, if you like my answer I think you should be able to cut and paste it (?!?).

Anonymous said...

I see I am late, yes I definitely think its fumarate & I'll second for Albert von Szent-Györgyi Nagyrapolt as the Noble Laureate. Although I am clueless too why Dr.Moran thinks he is undeserving, anything to do with his Hungarian fascism during world war & agreeing to be a secret spy later in life, I doubt so. Then why? I am trying to think!!

Jonathan Badger said...

Maybe Larry is bitter at the late Canadian-born Henry Taube (Chemistry, 1983), who studied redox reactions including fumarate reduction. Taube, like many Canadians, left Canada to work in the US.