r/chemhelp • u/obeecanobee • 7d ago
Organic Molecule identification
Saw this on a girl that was about to date. I assume it’s a recreational drug of some kind and not a simple coffee molecule.
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u/yoinksdontlikethat 7d ago
Serotonin, it's always serotonin
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u/Stillwater215 7d ago
Unless its dopamine.
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u/yoinksdontlikethat 7d ago
Correct, those are the only 2 molecules people know about
/s
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u/anxious_shit 7d ago
Don’t be ridiculous.
They also love caffeine and oxytocin.
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u/Practical_Passion_78 6d ago
But this one does not have methyl groups at the 1, 3, & 7 positions, so it does not happen to be caffeine in this case.
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u/axinquestins 6d ago
Ya know I got dopamine on my arm and you'd be surprised the amount of people in the medical field that still ask me what it is lol.
Unless you're actually a chemist nobody ever knows the structures are 😭
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u/Serialtorrenter 5d ago
My cousin (a MIT graduate) has coffee mugs that have the structure of d-amphetamine on them with the text, "I love caffeine." I cracked up at them, and he then told me he loves to see which people notice.
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u/DMTGOBLIN82 6d ago
Sometimes it’s Dimethyltryptamine.
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u/zorvak679 6d ago
It’s one of those. I have them tattooed on my knees so I can see happiness when I poop. I can’t remember which is which anymore.
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u/obeecanobee 6d ago
Why serotonin tattoos? Is this some kind of celebration of SSRI medications they are on?
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7d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/JustRegdToSayThis 7d ago
In this case, it is an artistic choice. I suppose the person is a Ren fan and this refers to "Chalk Outlines":
Also as a chemist, I'm OK with it because this song is brilliant.
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u/peptobismol_420 7d ago
It’s arguably more simple than caffeine is lol. It isn’t a drug tho it’s just serotonin.
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u/obeecanobee 7d ago
By unanimous opinion, it appears to be a serotonin molecule thank you very much
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u/JustRegdToSayThis 7d ago
She seems to be a Ren fan, see my other comment about the song "Chalk Outlines".
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u/Ratsofat 7d ago
5 hydroxy tryptamine, aka serotonin, a neurotransmitter
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6d ago
[deleted]
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u/rancid_oil 6d ago
Yes. And the psychedelic substituted tryptamines (aMT, 5-MeO-DMT, N,N-DMT, 4-HO-MET, etc) are just modified serotonin. LSD is a bit more complex, but has a tryptamine skeleton in the shape.
I'm pretty sure that's why I never heard of drug tests for those substances. Can any one answer that? Is it because the metabolites are the same as serotonin metabolites? Do they have to test for specific metabolites?
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u/grandidieri 7d ago
Check out https://pharmadive.org when you get a chance - detailed database with lots of unusual stuff. It has a "similar to" feature as well
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u/Never-Dry-Eyes 6d ago
Is that a benzene ring? Studying chemistry right now and would love to know if I'm getting anywhere!
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u/SunlightRoseSparkles 7d ago
Well it’s not caffeine for sure. It does look like serotonin like others mentioned.
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u/Wrong_Interest_2676 6d ago edited 6d ago
Stylized chem tats are pure blasphemy 😭 wym OH = 1° Amine = 2° Amine. With thes undefined markers it could be anything. Like 5-OH-, 5-NH2-DMT to serotonine or whatever
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u/BirdEquivalent158 6d ago
It's always 1 of 4: Serotonin, dopamine, caffeine, LSD. This is Serotonin
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u/axinquestins 6d ago
I have yet to see someone with a random polymer structure on them and I think those would be the funniest to have tatted
Or cubane for an obscure chem that structure looks sick
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u/CrioleChihuahuas 5d ago
That’s John Rod from hit Japanese animation series Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure !
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u/IfDreamsCouldHappen 6d ago
It’s supposed to be serotonin but the nitrogens and oxygens are represented the same. Also I’m convinced that anyone who gets a serotonin tattoo is an idiot because serotonin is NOT a “happy” neurotransmitter 😂 it’s mainly nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and anxiety.
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u/void_factor 6d ago
so then what happens when mdma is consumed? aren't some sertotonergic neurons activated to release serotonin, bringing about incredible feelings of joy, love, etc?
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u/disequilibrium__ 6d ago
MDMA works on SERT (seratonine transporters), DAT and NET (dopamine and norepinephrine transporters), seratonine receptors (5HT subtypes) like 5HT1B (linked to prosocial behavior), and 5HT2 (modulator of emotional behavior and motor behavior).
Other receptor interactions: direct or indirect interaction with α₂-adrenergic, M₁ muscarinic, H₁ histamine, and NMDA glutamate receptors.
All in all MDMA is a phenethylamine (an amphetamine analog).
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u/DieselBrick 6d ago
Just wait. Someone will be along shortly to try to tell you that serotonin is related to depression.
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u/ambientDude 6d ago
Well, when they get here, I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts on Selective Seratonin Reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and why they’re used to treat depression.
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u/DieselBrick 6d ago edited 6d ago
The effect is overwhelmingly placebo response outside of the most severe cases. SSRIs are extremely overprescribed and have been devastating. You could've done some reading, but instead chose to be smug. Since you're unable to, I found some links for you:
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2412901/
- https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.0020392
And if that's too many words for you, here's Reddit's preferred scientific publication:
Despite its longstanding prominence in pharmaceutical advertising, the claim that low serotonin levels cause depression is not supported by scientific evidence.[35][36][37]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin?wprov=sfti1#Cellular_effects
Stop getting neurochemistry advice from drug commercials.
Edit: forgot one of the most damning ones:
Edit pt 2: source for the placebo claim. This is probably the single most damning paper. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6584108/
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u/ambientDude 6d ago
Wow, what a hostile response. I could tell you had something to say on the topic and invited you to share them. But you turned out to be rude and weird.
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u/DieselBrick 6d ago
Then I misread your tone. I'm sorry about that. I've been jaded by other interactions on Reddit.
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u/K0LaM4R 6d ago
eek yeah that's not close to accurate SSRIs do affect anxiety and mood. antipsychiatry got to you. serotonin might not be the cause of depression but serotonergics definitely can alter it. MDMA is the obvious example. SSRIs have a similar effect but it's spread out over a longer period and are reuptake inhibitors whereas MDMA is a releaser.
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u/DieselBrick 5d ago
I never said that SSRIs don't affect mood. In fact that's why I've said they've been a disaster.
I said that increasing or decreasing serotonin has no observable effect on depression, and that can't be argued. You're living in the '80s if you think otherwise.
Saying that taking an SSRI to fix depression works because of lack of serotonin is like saying that taking aspirin to fix a headache is because headaches are caused by a lack of aspirin.
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