Which Chemical has the Most Annoying Name?

[@Wcwcwcwc570]

Nanokid is cring but the chemist, James Tour, who made it, is brilliant. He made a molecular sized car, which I didn’t even think was possible. He’s done crazy stuff with graphene

[@chrstfer2452]

Lol james tour is a hack in all things except his specific brand of chemistry, and a very public hack at that

[@Wcwcwcwc570]

I mean sure but this is a chemistry channel not a channel debating religious views??

[@therealspeedwagon1451]

Imagine putting nanokid into the nanocar and driving him into a nanowall. I want to know all the possible ways to kill that stupid brat nanokid.

[@chrstfer2452]

@@Wcwcwcwc570 he's lost all credibility

[@ffc1a28c7]

@@chrstfer2452 Still quite credible in synthetic organic chem. Just not in anything else

[@zetsubouda]

Penguinone is making me want Cute Chemicals Tier List.

[@revenevan11]

Oooh heck yes!

[@Michael-kp4bd]

I’d say the annoying part is that they botched the much simpler and cuter name of penguone. Does that break naming convention or where they just that bad at missing a better pun? 😒

[@Flesh_Wizard]

Penguintwo coming 2026

[@TheSnakelord_]

@@Flesh_Wizard Penguininfinity coming ????

[@normanmai7865]

Penguinz0ne when

[@HammerspaceCreature]

I love Fluorene, that's an elegant kind of annoying. No long, rude, or convoluted name, just make it a homophone of a common element and watch chemists pull their hair out. Who's on first?

[@phizc]

The full name of the protein Titin has to be S-Tier.. It's got 189819 letters and takes 3 hours to pronounce according to the web.

[@O5MO]

SSS+ tier

[@sharpfang]

I'm sure people reading disclaimers in medication ads could take it down to 1 hour.

[@cezarcatalin1406]

@@sharpfang 😂

[@SupersuMC]

Is there a video of someone pronouncing it perfectly?

[@ThePandafriend]

The "full name" is just the chemical name. ANY protein can be written in a similar way. Obviously it's impractical, which is why we don't write "Alanylmethionyl[...]tryptophylvalin" (which is just a random sequence with which I came up), but rather than that "AM[...]WV". A-Alanine, M-Methionine, W-Tryptophan, V-Valin. I mean you can also write any large molecule in its IUPAC form, which is technically correct, but would be equally stupid.

[@ethanlarsen9126]

I was just laughing at the prospect of a chemical being named "non anal" and it really made me chuckle to hear your Freudian slip right there because I knew you were thinking the same thing 😂

[@limmuquan4796]

😏

[@wetterlettuce9069]

wait till you hear about butanal

[@GRAYgauss]

Wasn't a a Freudian slip, he said what he meant, then perceived how it could be taken. Talking about all "-anals" only for the non technical side to process what it sounds like. I gotta admit it was hilarious because I didn't realize it either, until he burst out laughing.

[@cxpKSip]

No-na-nal is how that one would be pronounced in a lab...

[@GRAYgauss]

@@cxpKSip These guys. Thank you.

[@michaelbrodsky]

Me: I’d like to place an order. Aldrich: Your account says, “Do not sell to this man.”

[@cezarcatalin1406]

We like calling it “Ligma Balldrich”

[@notenoughpaper]

I worked with Fluorene for my bachelor's thesis, glad to have my precursor on this list :D Though its name was not as confusing for me, because in German its called Fluoren, while the element is called Fluor, two names that are easily distinguishable

[@eVill420]

Same in Finnish :D easier to remember

[@overl0ad_x762]

Your videos are awesome man!! I’m a novice chemmie taking ap chem and don’t know much about oragnics yet but your videos never fail to entertain while educating me! Definitely showing this one to all my classmates

[@That_Chemist]

Glad to hear it!

[@taylordecaney9705]

Same here man! Taking my first chem class in my 2nd year of college

[@ಠಎಠ]

"This is cyclone, this has been taking the world by storm" total deadpan delivery, if you did that in a single take then you sir are a beast

[@That_Chemist]

I did :P

[@sacredyveltal4688]

Oh, that one flew over my head 😆🌪️

[@atigerclaw]

@@sacredyveltal4688 You need a P-3 Orion to properly interact with Cyclone.

[@laratheplanespotter]

Man you have a niche talent for making chemistry funny. Love it!

[@That_Chemist]

Thanks :)

[@jmowreader9555]

Phthalocyanine always got to me. It's a really pretty blue pigment. Saying the name of the pigment is enough of a pain that people call the paint made out of this "thalo blue." Also, the "cyanine" part suggests it's got cyanide groups in it, which it does not.

[@lefthandedspanner]

on the other hand, "cyan" is Greek for blue; cyanide is so named because it was originally isolated from Prussian Blue

[@MarcusMedomRyding]

@@lefthandedspanner that's really nice because it means that "phthalo blue" is not only shorter, but actually less redundant than "phthalocyanine blue" would be

[@Peaserist]

Should mention that hexamethylenetetrsmine goes by the shorthand hexamine, which suggests 6 amines

[@That_Chemist]

👀

[@kid_missive]

I think it's wonderful. The amine of sixness.

[@lefthandedspanner]

it's also used to make the high explosive RDX, which is widely used in military and civilian applications RDX is a very reliable explosive, in that it gives a nice big bang but only with the use of a detonator; it's not otherwise sensitive at all, though it is quite flammable

[@Kualinar]

@@lefthandedspanner Pretty much all high explosives are quite to very flammable.

[@cezarcatalin1406]

@@lefthandedspanner Speaking of annoying chemical names and explosives, how about “HMX” aka “Her Majesty’s eXplosive”... Are we naming molecules after royalty now ? What’s next ? “KingCharles-3-one” or something ?

[@Falco.]

TheoBromine means "God's nutriment" Cocoa was considered God's food when was discovered and I can't blame them

[@olbluelips]

This one is pretty hilarious. I love the nerd sense of humour. I don't know much chemistry but hexamethylenetetramine seems awful.

[@That_Chemist]

💪

[@Sniperboy5551]

Good old thebacon, I’ve never heard anyone else mention it. Opium chem is pretty fascinating, especially the semi-synthetics that can be 4500x more potent than morphine.

[@lol-dj2hv]

@@Aaron-zu3xn the x1000 for cf is the MME as in morphine equivalent. Not in comparison to F. Cf is roughly 20-25x more potent than F. Still potent af, but not as much as media hypes. And the therapeutic window for cf is way higher than F. As it doesn't recruit b-arrestin as badly as it's parent molecule, hence breathing suppression is way less than F. And it's not nearly as dangerous as F.

[@therealspeedwagon1451]

I’d really like to see a tier list on industrial pollutants. Stuff like tetraethlylead or CFCs or plastics that can break down into microplastics and get into your blood. That would be an interesting video.

[@player-hw7pe]

Phenolphthalein deserves a high rank because every high school student hates spelling that.

[@asinglebraincell6584]

This is such a cool channel, I don't know heaps about chemistry [yet] and you're helping me understand how much cool stuff I've been missing out on lol thank you

[@That_Chemist]

I'm glad to hear it :)

[@mopippenger7373]

I have absolutely no idea but I crack up at 6:53 every time I watch you say "Largazole has a really upsetting name in my opinion" XD

[@blackoutlol2857]

This video reminded me that annoying orange exists and that not too long ago it was the peak of comedy according to like a million people.

[@davidnelson2204]

Thank you for the office poster idea: "You may think uhhh that's pretty dumb... and that's because it is"

[@JohnnyHikesSW]

Dextromethorphan has a funny name but it’s actually dangerous to take DM cough medicines if you take SSRIs, I took it while on Paxil and it made me extremely delirious because I had way too much serotonin floating around (I’m 99% sure I had serotonin syndrome but I opted to wait it out at home so I never got that diagnosis)

[@LongPeter]

"Cyclone, now, this one's been taking the world by storm…" 😏 You bastard.

[@custos3249]

Now we just need someone to discover the right kind of pharmaceutical terpene compound in frogs and call it "herpeterpesone."

[@1224chrisng]

11:30 I van just imagine Bob Ross saying Phthphthphthphthalo blue

[@PbChemist]

Complicatic acid should be referred to as Lavigne's acid just for the lols.

[@MrTheSmoon]

this week i went under general Antithesis for a knee surgery and one of the last things i remember was reading desflurane on the respirator and wait was that not on the cringe molecules tierlist?

[@gigal97]

Someone should make Electron Soap to go with the Proton Sponge and it has to be Acidic

[@That_Chemist]

Lmao

[@lithiumferrate6960]

Top 10 unusual organic compounds that can function as ligands please.

[@That_Chemist]

cyclooctadiene, -SCF3, etc

[@michaelmares6066]

the R-group for nanokid makes me giggle (nanojester) tf lol. cool vid as always

[@darrengeorge8990]

I disagree with you on theobromine, but I'm with you on fluorene. We oxidize it to fluorenone in an undergraduate lab, and several people have been confused by it. I strongly suspect two of my students were getting their answers from someone else who didn't understand the distinction (they were later caught cheating on exams).

[@Yaivenov]

On the opposite end of the name spectrum is acetylsalicylic acid, which I like because it feels like the verbal equivalent of playing hopscotch.

[@B3Band]

Canifug was worth the wait until the end

[@jansenart0]

Tricyclo[7.4.0.02,7]trideca-2,4,6,9,11,13-hexaene or 9H-Fluorene. Nine'aich

[@dankhill6851]

When I was an addict I looked at Thebacon like the guy who synthesized it was Makin TheBacon

[@soylentgreenb]

Phenolftalien was not only used as a laxative, but for some reason the laxative was not put into capsules but instead into chocolate. And it tasted just like ordinary chocolate too. The prank potential was judt way too high.

[@SupersuMC]

It's like Haribo Sugar-Free Gummy Bears, but worse! XD

[@samiraperi467]

To be fair, dextromethorphan (aka DXM) is mixed with other things to discourage misuse, because it's a psychoactive drug in high doses.

[@derrickhageman1969]

You should do the most reactive compounds and elements

[@nopalito747]

I thought that the "P" in words that start with "Pt" is silent, so it would be pronounced like telefolone. Could be wrong tho

[@jahanpatel2280]

still very annoying cause by the looks of it, it looks like a 6 year old tried to spell telephone

[@jobofa4252]

The cocoa plant was put in the Theobroma genus over 70 years before Bromine was discovered. Ethnobotany gang wooooop.

[@That_Chemist]

😤

[@jhawley031]

Fluorene is my favorite molecule now

[@diablominero]

dextromethorphan is a dissociative anesthetic like ketamine (among its many functions)

[@lefthandedspanner]

nanokid reminds me of that old Level 42 song "Micro Kid" "nanokid with gigathoughts / he is real, he his here, he is fashionable"

[@liamli5650]

Nanokid doesnt deserve the hate man, he was in one of the first chem olympiad I did a few years back and I thought it was quite amusing to have something like it and it actually got me more into chemistry.

[@quarkonium3795]

"It's pretty hard to be upset with someone who's wearing a bowtie" You clearly forgot that Tucker Carlson exists

[@thatguy431]

Hey, I'm a meth orphan! Thanks for the recognition. Phthaline always pissed me off lol Man, I love that there's a master chemist out here making me laugh. Seriously, thanks for time and effort into sharing all this! Can I fug? No not this week. Jesus man xD

[@_varuniyer_]

Most confusing thing ive read

[@DisturbedVette]

That’s not a very nice thing to say about yourself

[@thatguy431]

@@DisturbedVette ehh, it's the truth.

[@Pootycat8359]

3:54 That one reminds me of a joke I once encountered. It showed the structure of a "compound," as asked for its name. It featured two chains, attached to a stick figure of a human. The human had two teardrop shaped "wings," like the what an electron cloud is often shown as. I forget the exact name, but it was something like this: "1-I,1-ORN-Flyin'-Propyl-People Ether."

[@purplealice]

Denatonium is one of those strange quaterniums, and probably nasty

[@ChimeraX0401]

Of all the chemicals here, my most favorite is Dextromethorphan because if you mirror it, it becomes Levorphanol which is an opioid drug. They look identical, the difference is their orientation. Though both of them have some effects on the brain though Dextromethorphan is much weaker in comparison to Levorphanol, makes sense since it is a cough medicine. Dextromethorphan seems to have some effects in minimazing the effects of depression though you have to take a huge amount to get the effect that you'll get to toxic level....

[@엘리를_바보있다]

New life goal: synthesize a nanocentipede

[@KeeganKeegan]

phthalic acid's a toughie for me

[@louiesatterwhite3885]

I have called it phallic acid on more than one occasion

[@purplealice]

I'm what's called a "poor metabolizer" - I can't metabolize dextromethorphan, I'm deficient in the liver enzyme CYP450 2D6

[@eleanorshuttleworth9346]

You need to rotate your drawing of snoutene a quarter turn clockwise for it to look like a snout.

[@louiesatterwhite3885]

2:23 "Let's put that into B tier" puts in A tier

[@That_Chemist]

👀

[@lapisinfernalis9052]

11:11 In German, this is much simpler and less confusing (Periodsäure) because we make a small pause before the iodine part of the word. I can't even pronounce the english name correctly XD. 11:30 This is also much easier to pronounce in German.

[@wesleymays1931]

"I think that one can go into B tier" [Proceeds to put Complicatic acid into A tier]

[@the_kingslayer]

Another super fire tier list!!!🔥🔥🔥

[@That_Chemist]

Appreciate it!!

[@blindsniper35]

Bromo-dragonfly and 2C-B-butterfly seem mildly annoying if you worked in that field. I remember that they existed after seeing nenokid. I remember finding them after wanting to read more after watching Hamilton pharmapedia.

[@TheNobody109]

This video made my day XD! P.S. megaphone is a "lignan" not a "lignin".

[@youtubeepicuser4209]

Santa: ho ho ho! Santalol: OH-OH-OH

[@davidwagner6116]

I'm not sure I understand your sense of humour, but I think you're very funny!

[@kid_missive]

pro tip for not stumbling during your presentations: PHTH as a linguisic moiety (and chemical moiety), can just be pronounced TH. Also, not a chemical but "unionized" deserves special mention.

[@douro20]

The IUPAC preferred name of hexamethylenetetramine is 1,3,5,7-Tetraazaadamantane.

[@limmuquan4796]

Why is the fungus Stereum complicatum named this way

[@hilarylockhart1022]

>"Cyclone - this one has been taking the world by storm..." Flawless delivery, sir!

[@jansenart0]

A more bitter compound? Well, let's see.... we could call it Thatchemistol.

[@henryelicker2403]

Skillissuesine and nomaidensine really gets me going

[@avi8aviate]

"Now cyclone, this one's been taking the world by storm..." That had to have been intentional.

[@riverstow6361]

Keanumycin should be on this list, although I think it was first published a few months after this video was made. It is just an unremarkable natural product, given a meme-able name so that it would be published in a journal it had no business being published in

[@bigvinnie3]

Ive wanted to try Thebacon for years.

[@Pillowzzz_]

Do a video on opiods and opiates ranked and explained

[@DeathMetalDerf]

Fun fact: it's your dog's liver's fault it can't do chocolate. They lack the enzymes to break down the theobromine, so it just builds up to incredibly toxic levels in their blood. Same thing with onion and garlic for dogs, but the compound is called something different. I think that's call allisin or allison or something, but I could be off on the name of the compound.

[@That_Chemist]

Allicin

[@MrHenrry98]

Hey, cross coupling reaction are cool. Don't @ me

[@BigGymLad]

Even though I only understand like half of the chemicals and bonds in this vid it's still very enjoyable to watch

[@Kyoobur9000]

What if you wanted to say a molecule was in the wrong tier but That Chemist said 👀

[@That_Chemist]

👀

[@TimothyReeves]

Hey, have you seen the NY Times story about the NYU chemistry prof who got fired after a bunch of his O-chem students signed a petition because they got bad grades? They were complaining because they feared they won't get into med school. Personally, I don't want physicians out there who could'nt learn organic chem, and he was clearly not a bad professor. Any thoughts on that?

[@martinivers489]

I'm watching this having a sip of wine every time "name" is mentioned.

[@1brytol]

Nothing is more annoying than the IUPAC name of the protein titin, as it is so long, that to read it, you need 3h 33m. The bio name is pretty funny too.

[@Sauti_science]

Bowtiediene be like, fuck dude, it sure is

[@BilberryBogwonAGD]

Deadcat is my personal favorite

[@niklas_science]

I think „Santalol“ would be a great chemical in the unfortunate name tierlist…

[@sheikchilli8670]

phenolphthalein sure is phthrusthrating to pronounce

[@a84jdu3uc7d]

i think nanokid has its charm. It's kinda stupid, but it's charming, as one of the main things that got me into chemistry was the fact that i could mix it up with my other biggest passion, which is art - and i feel like nanokid was an attempt at that

[@Sauti_science]

Absolutely enamored with this

[@skyethebi]

The reason that dextromethorphan is used in cough medicine is because it’s one of the only real options they have. The only drugs that actually will directly reduce coughing are opioids and there’s obvious reasons why they don’t want to have OTC opioids. Dextromethorphan is used because it targets the kappa opioid receptors but not the mu opioid receptors. Structurally DXM is a morphinan and in fact it’s other enantiomer levomethorphan is used as an opioid analgesic. However because of DXM not targeting the mu receptors it’s not (as) addictive and not remotely as dangerous as something like morphine (which used to be prescribed as a cough medicine).

[@skyethebi]

Also when we look at ethanol which is sold specifically for recreational use DXM doesn’t look that bad. I believe that ethanol affects more parts of the brain than not. Plus ethanol is neurotoxic and carcinogenic and the cause for a large portion of domestic abuse cases. DXM is moderately dangerous and can be a problem if taken in very high doses (like half a bottle of cough syrup at least), but ethanol is much much worse.

[@uberraisin4487]

A people looking molecule I use at my work is Vetiveryl Acetate, always reminds me of the Annihilator from Mechwarrior, or a Geth with a massive belly

[@tommihommi1]

I literally laughed out loud at the centipede

[@thecrudelab3204]

canifug's application fits the name. i love it

[@saru2530]

NanoKid, both as the drawing and with the name, has a smug aura... I think thats what gets me riled up with it lol

[@Pootycat8359]

My two favorite chemical names are "Putrescine" & "Cadaverine." By the way, I've considered developing a perfume, based on Skatole. I'd Call it, "Fecal Fantasy." 🤗

[@bear4278]

Thebacon is highly habit forming! I have heard of people all over the world using it every day with double doses of the eggs! Although, for some reason use is much lower in Muslim countries :-P

[@gyrgrls]

He left out ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

[@PsychoLilDude]

What about azidoazide azide?

[@SuperAngelofglory]

A better name for Nanokid would have been Snowman

[@Pootycat8359]

7:43 But does it work like Acetylsalicylic Acid?

[@nicolassiderakis9113]

This entire video justifies the plot of Avatar. Turns out "unobtainium" would actually be an acceptable nomenclature.

[@bread_girl_jane]

proton sponge sounds like a sick band name

[@CarbonatedGravy]

My god I never thought I’d hear the name thebacon outside the wikipedia article and bluelight guys trying to acetylate every opioid other than morphine 💀 Even got a nanoputian in there! 😂too many to count but off the top of my head bromazolam/bromazepam would make a good addition

[@obiwahndagobah9543]

I'm glad that in German, many of these supposedly difficult to speak names are actually rather easy. The rules of english pronounciation make it sometimes difficult to say word with roots in Latin or Greek. It reminds me of pteranodon and psychologist. Why it is so difficult to say the p at the beginning? ;)

[@tomasallende9583]

At least to my knowledge, opiate includes both naturally ocurring and semi-synthetic, like most people call heroin and oxycodone opiates, but for example levorphanol which is still a morphinan but is synthetic is always refered to as an opioid. It's just my experience but it makes sense since oxycodone and hydrocodone and such are found in trace amounts naturally.