# data[].attributes.body
Camphor has a few different claims to fame as a world-changing molecule. It was used in ancient times to treat pains and as a decongestant, its most popular use today. It was used as a spice in European and Arabic medieval dishes. Its most effective world-changing property, however, was the production of smokeless gunpowder. Traditional gunpowder gave off quite a large puff of smoke, obscuring visibility and revealing the location of the shooter. It also left a residue that had to be cleaned out to keep te gun working. With smokeless camphor gunpowder, a stealthier and more effective shooting was possible, and there was no residue to be cleaned out. This allowed warfare to be conducted more stealthily and effectively.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camphor#Physical_uses

# data[].attributes.body
Fluoxetine is a world-changing molecule because of its effectiveness as an antidepressant. Like penicillin’s claim to fame as a life-changing medicine, fluoxetine has saved and changed lives by giving the depressed masses the energy and strength to keep on “keeping on”, and has also helped with overeating disorders. It achieves this by blocking the reuptake (collection and redistribution) of serotonin in the brain, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood and appetite. By doing this, serotonin builds up in the brain and fixes the imbalance that causes conditions like depression.

https://www.medicinenet.com/fluoxetine/article.htm

# data[].attributes.body
The same molecule used by vampire bats to feed on prey has potential to stop strokes before they cause too much fatal damage to the brain. This is due to the fact that Draculin, more officially known as DSPA, is an inhibitor of an enzyme known as Factor X that causes blood to coagulate and clot. This molecule would not be the first one used to treat strokes, but has proven to work much longer after the stroke occurs and has less possible negative health effects on the brain.

https://asknature.org/strategy/saliva-breaks-down-blood-clots/#.WlQNO1NOmf0

# data[].attributes.body
Oxytocin is a molecule that naturally occurs in our bodies, and is a world-changing molecule because of its contribution in the birthing of new human beings, among several othe rfunctions in the body. Oxytocin helps induce contractions during birth which help push a newborn out of its mother’s womb, and is also employed in the comtractions of the heart. It also contributes to lactation in a newborn’s mother, helping force milk out of the mammary glands. In the brain, oxytocin helps promote feelings of happines, calm, and trust.

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/439302#section=Mechanism-of-Action

# data[].attributes.body
Ethanol, also known as the alcohol in beverages, is a world-changing molecule both because of its effect on the human brain’s processing and the widespread nature of its effect. Ethanol slows the brain’s ability to process and interpret information, leading to a lack of judgement, limited motion, and slower reactions, among other problems. However, it also happens to be a pleasurable and slightly intoxicating substance, and one that touches human beings across the globe. However, this worldwide effect is a very negative on, as alcohol contributes to car crashes, bad decisions, fights, and can destroy people’s lives by contributing to horrible mistakes or creating an addiction.

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/ethanol

# data[].attributes.body
Quinine was a molecule that changed the world because of its use as a cure and preventative drug for malaria. Malaria was an endemic in the hot, humid climates of swamps, marshes, and bogs. It was highly contagious, and was pushed further by mosquitoes who served as carriers. The three more “benign” versions of the disease simply cause fever conditions and sideline children from school and adults from working. However, the fourth version of it is known to be extremely fatal to humans. The discovery of a cure was a relief to people worldwide. This singular but widespread contribution makes quinine worthy of its world-changing status.

# data[].attributes.body
Chlorofluorocarbons, also known as CFCs, are molecules whose boiling and condensing points are ideal for the mechanical refrigeration process. Their molecules are generally unreactive and stable, are not flammable, nontoxic, and inexpensive to make. Their main role as refrigerants alone make them a molecule that changed the world because it allowed the easier and safer transportation of meats and produce without using salt. The fact that they were inexpensive and easy to make allowed the refrigerator to become a household appliance, and allowed the frozen food industry to develop (although this last one may have been more of a detriment). CFCs were also used as propellants in aerosol cans and coolants in air conditioning systems. However, not all of their world-changing properties were positive. The fact that they were so stable meant that the CFCs could last a long time just floating in air once used or released into the atmosphere. The molecules drift up into the stratosphere’s ozone layer and destroy ozone by releasing chlorine atoms that bond with oxygen atoms, taking them away from the process of creating ozone. This leaves CFCs as a double-edged sword; they allowed food to be stored much longer and in much more healthy conditions, but they remove the planet’s protection from harmful radiation.

# data[].attributes.body
Sodium chloride, more commonly known as salt, is a true jack of all trades. From preserving food, to conducting electrical impulses to the brain, to dissolving in our bodies to aid digestion, to being a starter material for many other molecules like sodium carbonate or sodium hydroxide and chlorine gas, salt has served many purposes throughout the centuries. Beause of the necessity for salt, many countries and civilizations have had their destinies altered by the search for salt. Taxes on salt in countries like France and Scotland led to a very unhappy poor population, and may have actually contributed to the French Revolution. Previously poor countries, like the African countries south of the Sahara, went from very poor tribal lands to areas of bustling commerce becuase countries from the north would come to trade other essential items for the salt from te big deposits in the Sahara desert. The capture of salt often became a tactic or end goal of many wars. The irony of this is that, after all this strife, today salt is one of the most common and cheap commodities on the market. However, its mnay purposes and uses still make this molecule a world-changing one.

# data[].attributes.body
A major part of what is known as olive oil, oleic acid is most certainly a world-changing molecule. Olive oil and lives were the main export of Greece, and were a commodity not readily available outside of the Mediterranean. This allowed Greece’s economy to flourish. However, the olive treeks deep roots did little to hold together the topsoil needed for farming, and contributed to making the already mountainous and not-farming-friendly country more dependent on imports for food. With this, it can be said that olive oil contributed, in a way, to the rise and fall of the Grecian Empire. However, empire building is secondary to the other major contribution of oleic acid-soap! When mixed with the alkalis in ash, fatty acids like oleic acid become soap, which is one of the most commonplace and necessary commodities for our modern world. Soap is a basic requirement for quality human hygiene, and without it cities and towns would not be able to sustain themselves due to the filth and squalor created by a large number of unwashed humna beings. Olive oil also adds flavor to our food, and can lead to better heart health throug its role in te transport of cholesterol. Just based on these three major contributions, olive oil is certainly a molecule that changed the world.

# data[].attributes.body
Morphine was a molecule that changed the world because of its widespread and age-old use as a apin-killer, and less positively as the baseline molecule for the production of heroin (produced from diacetlymorphine). This molecule is a strong narcotic that induces a sleepy, dreamlike state that numbs pain. However, the molecule is also somewhat addictive. The Bayer company tried to remedy this with the same process it used to make salicylic acid safe for aspirin, but instead just made it easier for the morphine to be accepted into the system and even easier for an addiction to form. However, the pure molecule morphine itself is still a very powerful and effective drug that is used today as a painkiller. Meanwhile, the diacetylmorphine molecule, now known as heroin, is a key player in the drug epidemic and “War on Drugs” that our country is embroiled in today. Due to these effects, I agree that the morphine molecule was a world changing one.

# data[].attributes.body
Atropine, a molecule found in the plants of the nightshade family, was an alkaloid along with a powerful hallucinogenic. This molecule was one of two major components in the “flying ointments” used by accused witches of the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries to apparently fly in the air. It is a much more plausible explanation that, by smearing the oil on a broomstick handle and then applying it to their genital area, these so-called witches actually hallucinated their flights and sabbats, only to wake up in bed afterward completely safe and sound. However, to them their visions were real, and this contributed to the popularization of myths about flying witches. I agree with this addition, because the visions created by this molecule led thousands of innocent women to their deaths because they wanted an escape from their harsh reality.

# data[].attributes.body
Known as the molecule behind modern contraceptives, it could also be called pro-TEST-erone for the movement in women’s rigts that it brought along with its massive popularization in the 60s. Contraceptives allowed for smaller families, controlling when a woman could get pregnant, and gave women more oppurtunity to be out in the workplace instead of being full-time homebodies. This molecule prevented conception by keeping the ovaries prepared for a fertilized egg instead of producing new ones. I agree with this addition because it was a much safer contraceptive based in a more modern scientific method, replacing the odd, ineffective, and sometimes dangerous attempts at contraception with “home remedies”.

# data[].attributes.body
Sulfanilamide was considered a molecule that changed the world because it was the first truly effective antibacterial drug. Originally thought to be the work of its parent molecule, protonsil red, the sulfanilamide molecule was the result of protonsil red breaking down in the body. This chemical attacked the viruses and bacteria that cause streptococcal infections, scarlet fever, pneumonia, and gonorrhea. This effective treatment opened the door to what was called “chemotherapy” and led to the development of all kinds of antibiotics. I agree with this addition, because it led humanity to treat ill esses with much more effective measures than herbs and prayer.

# data[].attributes.body
Indican is a molecule that changed the world because it was one of the original natural materials used to dye clothing. Indican the molecule itself is colorless; however, the molecule’s structure allows it to oxidize and bond with other atoms, allowing it to become the beautiful blue color that indigo is known for. Indican was also a key ingredient in the purple dye used for the capes of rulers. While very helpful, I would not classify indican was world-changing; without it, I’m sure people could have gotten by using other materials to dye their clothes different colors, such as the natural pigments made from inorganc compounds.

# data[].attributes.body
Isoprene was a molecule that changed the world because it is the main molecule in what is known as rubber. The cis form of the isoprene molecule chains form coils that stretch very easily and can coil back into place. When sulfur is added to the mix through melting, the chains of isoprene can stick together, helping the retain form once stretched and keeping them from melting apart in higher temperatures. Rubber went from being an oddity that was good for waterproof things like raincoats and boots when it first came into popular use, but once the trick with sulfur (known as vulcanizing) was developed rubber began being used for a wide variety of things, from engine parts and electrical insulators to rubber bands, tires, and chewing gum. Rubber also changed history, although its impact was less than favorable. Rubber collection led to mass deforestation in the Amazin River Basin and plantations in Brazil, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Especially in Africa and Brazil, these plantations were horrible, brutal places where workers were forced to work day and night and live in subhuman conditions. Africa quickly became colonized by any European country that could reach it once it was discovered rubber trees could grow there, an influence still felt by the Central and South African people.

# data[].attributes.body
It may be shorter to list the ways Phenol hasn’t changed the world. The molecule phenol was first used intentionally as an antiseptic produced from coal tar to help prevent infection during surgeries, which lowered fatalities drastically. However, it was unknowingly used even before that as part of the taste in ginger, spicy foods, and vanilla. Synthetic vanillas for taste and perfume were also developed from phenol, as was better photography paper. Phenol’s greatest contribution, however, was being the base molecule for a material called Bakelite, the first hard plastic material. This material was used in the manufacture of everything made of hard plastic today, including billiard balls and electric insulators. Such a versatile molecule certainly makes my list of world-changing molecules.

# data[].attributes.body
Silk is a molecule that changed the world because it helped open East Asia to trade with the rest of the world and began to break the isolation of Europe from Asia. The Silk Road also helped increase the connections between cou tries and added to the worldwide infrastructure already helped by the leftovers of the Roman Empire. Through this connection, other items were traded, along with ideas and inventions that both sides benefitted from.

# data[].attributes.body
Nitroglycerin is a compound that changed history because of its dual purpose use as both an explosive and a compound thta dilates blood vessels to help with heat disease and ED. Nitroglycarin was a much more powerful explosive than gunpowder because the explosive reaction only produces the hot, expanding gases that characterize a powerful explosion, whereas half of gunpowder’s explosion’s products are solids. However, nitroglycerin is also very unstable and, until it was packed with kieselguhr to make dynamite, accidents with the highly reactive compound were very common. As a medical tool, nitroglycerin is used to treat angina and control blood pressure. This kind of duality, the ability to destroy and save, leaves no doubt that nitroglycerin is a very useful compound that changed history

# data[].attributes.body
Cellulose was a compound that changed history because its sturdy structure, water absorbency, and easily woven strands made cotton a prime candidate for clothes making from the nineteenth century on. The craze for cotton back in England led to many good and bad things. On the good side, the need to produce cotton faster and cheaper led to a great many leaps and bounds in machinery, modernization of towns, and better, cheaper clothes for the less affluent in England. On the negative end, the urbanization of England’s countryside led to overcrowding, horrible living conditions, and mass pollution. Child labor became a widespread problem in the new factories, and the higher demand for raw cottonmade the ownership of slaves just that much more lucrative for the American plantation owners.

# data[].attributes.body
Lead Acetate was a molecule that changed the world because it may have contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. Wealthy Romans used lead pipes to bring water to their homes, lead caskets to hold their wine, and lead acetate to sweeten their wine without over-fermenting it. This high amount of lead leaking into the Roman diet created widespread lead poisoning, which can lead to irritation, headaches, loss of sleep, and brain damage that contributes to mental instability. As the Roman high class was slowly infected with lead poisoning, the upper crust of society fell apart, including the government. This is a plausible theory, as later emperors such as Nero exhibited similar symptoms. I agree with the author’s decision to add this molecule to the book because the theory of lead poisoning contributing to the fall of Rome is, while partly speculation, a very plausible theory.

# data[].attributes.body
Ascorbic Acid, also known as vitamin C, was a molecule that changed the world because it prevented the disease called scurvy, which rots the gums, causes diarrhea, saps the energy, and makes death more likely when infected with diseases like pneumonia. When sailors and captains realized the effect that fruits containing Vitamin C had, ships were able to sail further and for longer periods with a healthier crew. This molecule, therefore, also made a large contribution to the age of discovery, which is why the author made it a part of the book. I cannot say I entirely agree with this addition, because ships and crews still managed while fighting the effects of scurvy. While it was helpful, I do not believe this molecule was world-changing.

# data[].attributes.body
Isoeugenol was a molecule that changed history because it produces a natural pesticide that repels insects, making it easier for people to acoid becoming sick from the fleas that spread the Black Plague. This molecule also occurs in the nutmeg plant. Isoeugenol may have contributed to the end of the Black Plague, which made it important enough for the author to include in the book. I agree with this substance being historically important because of this contribution. Anything that helps bring an end to the disease that wiped out a third of humanity is definitely worth adding to a book of notable molecules.

# data[].attributes.body
Piperine is a molecule that changed history because of its popularity as a way to modify taste and help preserve food in the form of peppercorns. The demand for piperine led to the European exploration of the world and contributed to the eventual discovery of North America as the great European explorers searched for new places to find the popular spice and new ways to get to these places. It is very sobering to think that one molecule could lead to the discovery of a new continent. It is because of this sobering thought that I agree with the author. The affluent nobility and upper class of Europe was known for their affinity for the exotic and hard to aquire, and would do quite a bit to attain these kinds of things. At the time, pepper was one of these exotic and hard to get items, and so would be very well-sought-after.