[« Finally, we discover.....] [And speaking of filk... »]
08/17/2004: Fun with science....
A couple of amusing links: Molecules with Silly or Unusual Names
ArsoleAnd for those of you who are into filk, there's Musical Chemistry. Complete with MIDI files of the tunes, if you want to sing along.
Yes, believe it or not, there is actually a molecule called Arsole... and it's a ring! It is the arsenic equivalent of pyrrole, and although it is rarely found in its pure form, it is occasionally seen as a sidegroup in the form of organic arsolyls. For more information, see the paper with probably the best title of any scientific paper I've ever come across: "Studies on the Chemistry of the Arsoles", G. Markl and H. Hauptmann, J. Organomet. Chem., 248 (1983) 269. Contrary to popular belief, however, the arsoles are not aromatic...
Furthermore, the structure where arsole is fused to a benzene ring is called 'benzarsole', and apparently when it's fused to 6 benzenes is called 'sexibenzarsole', although that molecule hasn't been synthesised yet. Another well known poisonous arsenic molecule is the simple hydride, called 'arsine', with formula AsH3.
And on a related theme, I've been told of an Aryl Selenide compound with the superb shorthand of ArSe, which is both toxic and smelly. The paper it comes from in J. Am. Chem. Soc. was published by authors from, of course, the University of Aahrus!
Len on 08.17.04 @ 12:19 PM CST
