Today's molecule is complex. The short common name of this molecule is sufficient but you're more than welcome to supply the IUPAC name if you know it. There's a direct connection between this Monday's Molecule and Wednesday's Nobel Laureate. (Hint: this molecule is not mentioned in the description of the award but the class of molecules to which it belongs is mentioned.)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.
UPDATE: The molecule is ergosterol, a plant sterol that is a precursor to vitamin D. Ultraviolet irradiation converts ergosterol to vitamin D2.
Is it estradiol? And the Nobel Laureate is "Professor Adolf Butenandt who was awarded half of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 1939, for his work on sex hormones. Owing to political conditions at the time, Professor Butenandt was prevented from accepting the prize. In 1949 he received the gold medal and the diploma."
ReplyDeleteIt's not estradiol. Estradiol got two -OH groups, while this got just one. It's a pretty simple modification of cholesterol, with a double bound and an additional methyl group added. I don't have any more than that to contribute I'm sorry to say.
ReplyDeleteErgosterol, or (3S,9R,10R,13S,14R,17R)-17-[(2S,5R)-5,6-dimethylhept-3-en-2-yl]-10,13-
ReplyDeletedimethyl-2,3,4,9,11,12,14,15,16,17-decahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthr
en-3-ol. I'm guessing Windaus.
And I can't make Thursday because I'm working :(
dunbar wins!
ReplyDeleteSorry you can't make it on Thursday but you can cash in on some other day when your boss lets you take a lunch break.