Articles
Chemistry Blog
Concepts, nomenclature, reactions and more — explained visually.
Phenylethylamine: from Cacao to the Brain, the Chemistry of Mood
Cacao contains phenylethylamine — the same amine the brain releases during falling in love and intense exercise. A small molecule with simple chemistry and a neurological effect that has fascinated humanity for centuries.
Water: the Most Studied and Most Underestimated Molecule in Chemistry
Water appears simple — H₂O, two hydrogens and one oxygen. But its physical and chemical properties are so anomalous that if water behaved as elementary chemistry predicts, life on Earth would be impossible.
Cholesterol: the Most Misunderstood Molecule in Nutrition
Cholesterol is not poison — it is an essential molecule that cells cannot live without. The problem is not cholesterol itself, but where it is, how much there is, and what type of particle it travels in.
Vitamin C: Why We're Among the Few Mammals That Can't Make It
Ascorbic acid is essential for collagen synthesis, iron absorption, and antioxidant defense. Humans, along with other primates, guinea pigs, and fruit-eating bats, lost the ability to synthesize it by a gene mutation 61 million years ago.
ATP: the Energy Currency of Life
Every second, a human cell consumes and regenerates its own weight in ATP. This three-phosphate molecule is the universal intermediary between chemical energy stored in food and biological work — movement, synthesis, transport.
Carotenoids: Why Carrots Are Orange and Tomatoes Are Red
The color of food is not accidental — it is quantum physics of π electrons. Carotenoids are the most widespread pigments in nature, and their color depends on how many conjugated double bonds they have.
Citric Acid: the Invisible Preservative in Almost Everything
The E-330 label appears on almost everything we buy processed. Citric acid is acidulant, preservative, metal chelator, and pH buffer — four functions in one molecule with three carboxyl groups.
Alcoholic Fermentation: From Sugar to Ethanol, the Complete Chemistry
Alcoholic fermentation has produced wine, beer, and bread for millennia. Behind the apparently simple transformation — sugar → alcohol + CO₂ — are ten chained enzymatic reactions with an elegant biochemical logic.
Capsaicin: the Chemistry Behind the Heat of Chili
Spiciness is not a flavor — it is a pain response. Capsaicin activates the same receptors that detect physical heat, tricking the brain into thinking the mouth is on fire. All because of one molecule.
Glucose vs Fructose: Two Isomers, Two Metabolic Destinies
They share the molecular formula C₆H₁₂O₆ and nearly the same sweetness, but their metabolic paths in the body are radically different. A single carbonyl position change has profound metabolic consequences.
Pyrazines of Colombian Cacao: the Aromatic Fingerprint of Origin
Pyrazines are the heterocyclic compounds that define roasted cacao aroma. In Colombian cacao, their specific profile acts as a chemical fingerprint of genotype, region, and fermentation protocol.
The Maillard Reaction in Cacao Roasting: Chemistry of Chocolate Aroma
The aroma of chocolate does not exist in the raw bean — it is built during roasting through hundreds of reactions between amino acids and sugars. The Maillard reaction is the molecular architect of everything that smells and tastes like cacao.
Organic Acids in Cacao Fermentation: Acetic, Lactic, and Succinic
Cacao fermentation is a 5–7 day microbial cascade where yeasts, lactic acid bacteria, and acetic acid bacteria transform pulp sugars into the acids that shape pH, flavor precursors, and final chocolate taste.
Cacao Polyphenols: Epicatechin, Catechin, and Procyanidins
Cacao is one of the most concentrated sources of flavanols in nature. The chemistry of epicatechin, catechin, and procyanidins — and why their structure determines their antioxidant power.
Theobromine vs Caffeine: two alkaloids, one cacao bean
They share the same molecular formula, differ by a single methyl group, and produce radically different effects. A deep dive into the two most abundant methylxanthines in Colombian cacao.
History of Molecular Simulators: From Paper to Screen
From the first ball-and-stick models to 3D visualizers in the browser, the evolution of molecular modeling tools has transformed the way we understand chemistry.
Oxidation States: A Complete Guide
Oxidation states are an essential tool for balancing redox equations and understanding chemical reactivity.