| Introduction |
| Although the model
of the role of the vital force was wrong, the
idea that organic chemicals were in someway
'different' was correct and valuable. Organic
chemicals are all based around carbon atoms
and their particular ability to form double
or triple bonds, long chains, branched molecules
and complex rings. |
| Carbon atoms
have the ability to link together and thereby
form molecules made up of many carbon atoms.
Add to this the fact that any of the carbon
atoms in such a chain can also bond with atoms
of other elements, and you see the possibility
of an endless number of different carbon–based
molecules. Each molecule has its own unique
set of physical, chemical, and biological properties.
The flavor of vanilla, for example, is perceived
when the compound vanillin is absorbed
by the sensory organs in the mouth and nose.
This compound consists of a ring of carbon atoms
with oxygen atoms attached in a particular fashion.
Vanillin is the essential ingredient in anything
having the flavor of vanilla—without vanillin,
there is no vanilla flavor. The flavor of chocolate,
on the other hand, is generated when not just
one but a wide assortment of carbon–based molecules
are absorbed in the mouth and nose. One of the
more significant of these molecules is tetramethylpyrazine,
which has a ring of nitrogen and carbon atoms
attached in a particular fashion. |
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