🧪 Understanding Caffeine Through SMILES Notation

Caffeine, the world's most widely consumed psychoactive substance, serves as an excellent example to understand SMILES notation in molecular structure representation.

🔬 Molecular Identity

• Chemical Formula: C₈H₁₀N₄O₂
• Molecular Weight: 194.19 g/mol
• SMILES: CN1C=NC2=C1C(=O)N(C(=O)N2C)C

🧬 SMILES Breakdown

Core Structure Components:

1. Ring Systems 🔄

   • Contains two fused rings
   • Uses numbers (1,2) to indicate ring closures

2. Functional Groups ⚛️

   • Methyl groups (C)
   • Carbonyl groups (=O)
   • Nitrogen atoms in the ring (N)

3. Bond Types ⚡

   • Single bonds (implicit)
   • Double bonds (=)

🔍 Detailed SMILES Analysis

CN1C=NC2=C1C(=O)N(C(=O)N2C)C

Let's break this down:

• CN1: Methyl group attached to a nitrogen (starting ring 1)
• C=NC: Double bond between carbon and nitrogen
• C2: Beginning of second ring
• C(=O): Carbonyl group
• N(C): Nitrogen with methyl substituent

💡 Properties and Effects

• Acts as a central nervous system stimulant
• Found naturally in coffee beans, tea leaves, and cacao pods
• Average cup of coffee contains ~95mg of caffeine

🔗 Related Concepts

• Purine alkaloid family
• Methylxanthine class
• Adenosine receptor antagonist

📚 Additional Resources

• PubChem Entry (opens in a new tab)
• Chemical Structure Visualization Tools
• SMILES Tutorial for Beginners