What molecule am I?
Traumatic acid, formally聽trans-2-dodecenedioic acid, is a plant hormone that was isolated from damaged green beans by Caltech chemists James English, Jr., James Bonner, and A. J. Haagen-Smit in 1939. They describe traumatic acid and its acid鈥揳ldehyde cousin traumatin as 鈥渨ound hormones鈥� that is, substances produced by a plant to 鈥渉eal鈥� itself after it is damaged.
The same year, English et al.聽聽by converting undecylenic acid to the half-aldehyde of sebacic acid, which they then condensed with malonic acid in the presence of pyridine. CO2聽was split off after the condensation, and the unsaturated diacid was isolated after hydrolysis of the ester group.
Traumatic acid may heal wounds in plants, but it may also be symbolic of American society鈥檚 wounds during this election season. May your trauma be kept to a minimum.
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