When fowl is fare

Happy Thanksgiving! In celebration of Turkey Day, today's Dollecule is one often associated with the Novembird... Tryptophan!

Tryptophan

Name: Tryptophan
Other names: 2-amino-3-(1H-indol-3-yl)propanoic acid, Trp, W
Chemical formula: C₁₁H₁₂N₂O₂
Found in: Poultry, eggs, dairy products, fish
Key: Brown=C, Gold=H, Taupe=N, Red=O

It is frequently said that high amounts of tryptophan in turkey are responsible for post-Thanksgiving food coma, but turkey actually has tryptophan content similar to other poultry. The sleepiness is likely due to the large quantities of food (especially carbohydrates) consumed alongside the turkey.

As usual, this year I'm thankful for friends and family. Speaking of family, Thanksgiving isn't complete without my mom's persimmon pudding. It's the best. You may question that, but the proof is in the pudding. Boom. Solid dad joke there to keep the family theme going. Oh brother, right? Boom again. Something something sister pun something. All the booms.

Stove top stuffing?

But I digress. Here is the secret family recipe for persimmon pudding:

[Redacted] Let me know how it turns out!

Bird's eye bird's-eye view

Thanks given. Goodbye.

Nuclear FSHN

In my time at U of I, I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with some great food scientists. Today's Scholecules are a taste of the graduate research of my current and former labmates. Bon appétit!

~ APPETIZER ~
Tributyrin
glycerol, butyric acid

Tributyrin

Name: Tributyrin
Other names: 1,3-di(butanoyloxy)propan-2-yl butanoate
Chemical formula: C₁₅H₂₆O₆
Found in: Butter, margarine
Key: Orange=C, White=H, Blue=O

Bouches thoroughly amused? Next up is a compound all too familiar to many members of the lab group (including yours truly)...

~ ENTRÉE ~
Sodium chloride
sodium ion, chloride ion

Sodium chloride

Name: Sodium chloride
Other names: (Table) salt, halite, sodium chloric, saline
Chemical formula: NaCl
Found in: Food products, seawater, road salt and de-icing brine
Key: Blue=Na, Orange=Cl

With a reduced sodium option for the hypertensive crowd:

Heart-healthy

Room for dessert? We finish off with the molecule putting dentists' kids through college...

~ DESSERT ~
Sucrose
glucose, fructose

Sucrose

Name: Sucrose
Other names: (Table) sugar, saccharose
Chemical formula: C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁
Found in: Sugarcane, sugar beets, granulated sugars
Key: Orange=C, White=H, Blue=O

Congratulations again to my former labmates who have moved on to greener pastures in the working world.

Study hard, kids.

N'oubliez jamais

We return on a sad note. In honor of a great nation and people... Francium.

Francium

Name: Francium
Other names: Actinium K, eka-caesium
Chemical formula: Fr
Found in: Nuclear synthesis, uranium and thorium ores
Key: Bleu/Blanc/Rouge=Fr

Vive la France.