RAMI

Edeyn, don't scare me off, the last time I took chemistry was when I was a sophomore in high School. Since I was a part of the class of 69, the loving 69'ers, that would have been between 9/66 and 6/67. Please, please, pretty please with stuffing and cranberry on top, give us a clue next time. And yes, whenever I have turkey, I take a nice (Sluff-Yiddish) nap.

RAMI

Hi Edeyn,

I can't even remember what a molecular diagram/schematic is called, however you should have one for tryptophan. I'm sure that a large number of compounds exist with that same chemical formula. All my biochem, etc. books were exiled to the attic or the utility room by my partner to make room for her growing collection of old Mac computers and associated books. So I don't know the structure.

I didn't follow the statement in a comment that Dl tryptophan caused the sleepiness, (as if to say you were wrong, or something?). I'm sure you know that D or L just refers to the right handed or left handed (forgot the word again, isomer or something) form of the molecule.

Actually seratonin, a neurotransmiter, causes the sleepiness. Tryptophan is a direct precursor of seratonin. I used to take 6 or so grams of tryptophan a day instead of taking an antidepressant, which also would increase the amount of seratonin in my brain synapses, until congress outlawed tryptophan as a suppliment. There apparently were some poisonings, I'm not sure about deaths, from an impurity or contaminate in some incorrectly prepared tryptophan suppliments from Japan. Stupid congress.

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_H C - C - O H : ethanol. Just wanted to see if I could make it appear correctly.
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Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee