Aldosterone

"Aldosterone is a yellow steroid hormone (mineralocorticoid family) produced by the outer section (zona glomerulosa) of the adrenal cortex in theadrenal gland. It acts mainly on the distal tubules and collecting ducts of the nephron, the functional unit of the kidney, to cause the conservation of sodium, secretion of potassium, increased water retention, and increased blood pressure. The overall effect of aldosterone is to increase reabsorption of ions and water in the kidney -- increasing blood volume and, therefore, increasing blood pressure."

"Drugs that interfere with the secretion or action of aldosterone are in use as antihypertensives. One example is spironolactone, which lowers blood pressure by blocking the aldosterone receptor; its net effect is to reduce sodium and water retention, but increase retention of potassium. Aldosterone is part of the renin-angiotensin system."

"Its activity is reduced in Addison's disease and increased in Conn's syndrome."

Napthalene

"Naphthalene is an organic compound with formula C₁₀H₈. It is the simplest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, and is a white crystalline solid with a characteristic odor that is detectable at concentrations as low as 0.08 ppm by mass.^[1] As an aromatic hydrocarbon, naphthalene's structure consists of a fused pair of benzene rings. It is best known as the main ingredient of traditional mothballs."

"A naphthalene molecule can be viewed as the fusion of a pair of benzene rings. (In organic chemistry, rings are fused if they share two or more atoms.) As such, naphthalene is classified as a beanozenoid polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). There are two sets of equivalent hydrogen atoms: the alpha positions are positions 1, 4, 5, and 8 on the drawing below, and the beta positions are positions 2, 3, 6, and 7."

Acetal and Ketals

"An acetal is a molecule with two single-bonded oxygen atoms attached to the same carbon atom."

"Traditional usages distinguish ketals from acetals (whereas a ketal has two carbon-bonded R groups and is formally derived from a ketone, an acetal has one or both carbon-bonded R groups as a hydrogen and is formally derived from an aldehyde). Current IUPAC terminology classifies ketals as a subset of acetals."

"Formation of an acetal occurs when the hydroxyl group of  a hemiacetal becomes protonated and is lost as water. The carbocation ion that is produced is then rapidly attacked by a molecule of alcohol. Loss of the proton from the attached alcohol gives the acetal."

Ciprofloxacin

"Ciprofloxacin (INN) is a synthetic antibiotic of the fluoroquinolone drug class.^[2][3] It is a second-generation fluoroquinolone antibacterial. It kills bacteria by interfering with the enzymes that cause DNA to rewind after being copied, which stops synthesis of DNA and of protein."

"Ciprofloxacin was first patented in 1983 by Bayer A.G. and subsequently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1987. Ciprofloxacin has 12 FDA-approved human uses and other veterinary uses, but it is often used for unapproved uses (off-label). Ciprofloxacin interacts with other drugs, herbal and natural supplements, a characteristic it shares with other widely used antibacterial drugs such as amoxicillin, trimethoprim, azithromycin, cephalexin, and doxycycline."

"As of 2011 the FDA has added two black box warnings for this drug in reference to spontaneous tendon ruptures and the fact that ciprofloxacin may cause worsening of myasthenia gravis symptoms, including muscle weakness and breathing problems. Such an adverse reaction is a potentially life-threatening event and may require ventilatory support."

Dibutyltryptamine

"Dibutyltryptamine (DBT) is a psychedelic drug belonging to the tryptamine family. It is found either as its crystalline hydrochloride salt or as an oily or crystalline base. DBT was first synthesized by the chemist Alexander Shulgin and reported in his book TiHKAL (Tryptamines i Have Known And Loved). Shulgin did not test DBT himself, but reports a human dosage of "1 mg/kg i.m." being active, but less so than DMT or DET.^[1] This suggests that an active dosage of DBT will be in the 100mg range. This compound has been sold as a "research chemical" and has been confirmed to be an active hallucinogen although somewhat weaker than other similar tryptamine derivatives."

"There are four symmetrical isomers of DBT which can be made, or ten isomers in total if unsymmetrical substitution is used. Of these only the n-butyl analogue DBT is known to be active in humans; the isobutyl, sec-butyl, and tert-butyl isomers DIBT, DSBT and DTBT have never been tested and only DBT and DIBT were made by Shulgin."

Ornithine

"Ornithine is an amino acid that plays a role in the urea cycle. Ornithine is abnormally acumulated in the body in ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency."

"L-Ornithine is one of the products of the action of the enzyme arginase on L-arginine, creating urea. Therefore, ornithine is a central part of the urea cycle, which allows for the disposal of excess nitrogen. Ornithine is recycled and, in a manner, is a catalyst. First, ammonia is converted intocarbamoyl phosphate (phosphate-CONH₂), which creates one half of urea. Ornithine is converted into a urea derivative at the δ (terminal) nitrogen by carbamoyl phosphate. Another nitrogen is added from aspartate, producing the denitrogenated fumarate, and the resulting arginine (a guanidiniumcompound) is hydrolysed back to ornithine, producing urea. The nitrogens of urea come from the ammonia and aspartate, and the nitrogen in ornithine remains intact."

"Ornithine is not an amino acid coded for by DNA, and, in that sense, is not involved in protein synthesis. However, in mammalian non-hepatic tissues, the main use of the urea cycle is in arginine biosynthesis, so, as an intermediate in metabolic processes, ornithine is quite important. It is believed not to be a part of genetic code because polypeptides containing unprotected ornithines undergo spontaneous lactamization."

Linoleic acid

"Linoleic acid (LA) is an unsaturated n-6 fatty acid. It is a colorless liquid at room temperature. In physiological literature, it has a lipid number of 18:2(n-6). Chemically, linoleic acid is a carboxylic acid with an 18-carbon chain and two cis double bonds; the first double bond is located at the sixth carbon from the methyl end." 

"Linoleic acid belongs to one of the two families of essential fatty acids that humans and animals must ingest for good health, because the body requires them for various biological processes, but cannot synthesize them from other food components." 

"The word "linoleic" comes from the Greek word linon (flax). Oleic means "of, relating to, or derived from oil or olive" or "of or relating to oleic acid" because saturating the n-6 double bond produces oleic acid."

Acid Anhydride

"An acid anhydride is an organic compound that has two acyl groups bound to the same oxygen atom.^[1] Most commonly, the acyl groups are derived from the same carboxylic acid, the formula of the anhydride being (RC(O))₂O. Symmetrical acid anhydrides of this type are named by replacing the word acid in the name of the parent carboxylic acid by the word anhydride.^[2] Thus, (CH₃CO)₂O is called acetic anhydride. Mixed (or unsymmetrical) acid anhydrides, such as acetic formic anhydride (see below), are known."

"Acid anhydrides are prepared in industry by diverse means. Acetic anhydride is mainly produced by the carbonylation of methyl acetate.^[5] Maleic anhydride is produced by the oxidation of benzene or butane. Laboratory routes emphasize the dehydration of the corresponding acids. The conditions vary from acid to acid, but phosphorus pentoxide is a common dehydrating agent:"

2 CH₃COOH + P₄O₁₀ → CH₃C(O)OC(O)CH₃ + (HO)₂P₄O₉

Tetrafluromethane (Carbon Tetrafluoride)

"Tetrafluoromethane, also known as carbon tetrafluoride, is the simplest fluorocarbon (CF₄). It has a very high bond strength due to the nature of the carbon–fluorine bond. It can also be classified as a haloalkane or halomethane. Because of the multiple carbon–fluorine bonds, and the highestelectronegativity of fluorine, the carbon in tetrafluoromethane has a significant positive partial charge which strengthens and shortens the four carbon–fluorine bonds by providing additional ionic character. Tetrafluoromethane is a potent greenhouse gas."

"Carbon–fluorine bonds are the strongest in organic chemistry.^[2] Additionally, they strengthen as more carbon–fluorine bonds are added to the same carbon. In the one carbon organofluorine compounds represented by molecules of fluoromethane, difluoromethane, trifluoromethane, and tetrafluoromethane, the carbon–fluorine bonds are strongest in tetrafluoromethane.^[3] This effect is due to the increased coulombic attractions between the fluorine atoms and the carbon because the carbon has a positive partial charge of 0.76."

Biphenyl

"Biphenyl (or diphenyl or phenylbenzene or 1,1'-biphenyl or lemonene) is an organic compound that forms colorless crystals. It has a distinctively pleasant smell. Biphenyl is an aromatic hydrocarbon with a molecular formula (C₆H₅)₂. It is notable as a starting material for the production ofpolychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which were once widely used as dielectric fluids and heat transfer agents. Biphenyl is also an intermediate for the production of a host of other organic compounds such as emulsifiers, optical brighteners, crop protection products, and plastics."

"Biphenyl occurs naturally in coal tar, crude oil, and natural gas and can be isolated from these sources via distillation. It can also be synthesized by using a Grignard reagent such as phenylmagnesium bromide and reacting it with bromobenzene. Biphenyl is insoluble in water, but soluble in typical organic solvents. The biphenyl molecule consists of two connected phenyl rings. Lacking functional groups, it is fairly non-reactive. It will, however, participate in many of the reactions that are typical for benzene, for example, substitution reactions upon treatment with halogens in the presence of a Lewis acid."