Cortisol vs Adrenaline: what is the difference?
Adrenaline acts within seconds and clears in minutes, while cortisol is a steroid hormone that works over hours on glucose, immunity and inflammation.
Sources and notes
- The sentence under the titlefrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notesThe pair's answer line.
- The two drawingscomputedMoleculeFinder rule (RDKit MCS)Each molecule's own drawing, as its page shows it. The common core, 8 of 26 atoms, is too small to align on.
Side by side
| Cortisol | Adrenaline | |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular weightCalculated PubChem | 362.5 g/molC21H30O5 | 183.2 g/molC9H13NO3 |
| Hydrogen-bond donorsCalculated PubChem | 3 | 4 |
| FamilyEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Steroid hormones | Neurotransmitters |
| Everyday groupEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Body | Body |
| Chemical groupsCalculated Found by rule (RDKit) | Alcohols, Ketones | Alcohols, Amines, Aromatics, Phenols |
| Hazard labelReported ECHA via PubChem | Warning | Danger |
| The supplier-filed hazard label's signal word, not a statement about ordinary use. | ||
| LD50Measured HSDB via PubChem | Not recorded | 62 mg/kgpure adrenaline, rat, on the skin |
| A single acute animal measure. It ranks nothing about human safety. | ||
Sources and notes
- Molecular weightcomputedPubChemComputed from the structure; the formula is under each weight.
- Hydrogen-bond donorscomputedPubChemThe hydrogens on nitrogen or oxygen that each molecule can lend to a hydrogen bond, counted from its structure.
- Familyfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Everyday groupfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Chemical groupscomputedFound by rule (RDKit)Each group is found in the structure by a chemical pattern.
- Hazard labelfrom sourceECHA via PubChem
- LD50from sourceHSDB via PubChem
- ECHAfrom sourceAttributionSource: European Chemicals Agency, echa.europa.eu.
- Identifiersfrom sourcePubChemPubChem CID 5754 (Cortisol) and 5816 (Adrenaline).
In more detail
These are the two stress hormones, and they run on different clocks. Adrenaline is released within seconds by the adrenal medulla and clears within minutes, producing the immediate racing heart and widened pupils of an acute fright. Cortisol is a steroid built from cholesterol, released over minutes to hours by the adrenal cortex, and it changes how the body handles glucose, immunity and inflammation for the rest of the day. Cortisol also follows a daily rhythm on its own, peaking shortly after waking, which adrenaline does not. Structurally they have nothing in common: cortisol is a four-ring steroid at 362.5, adrenaline a small catecholamine at 183.2.
Sources and notes
- The paragraphfrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notes
Questions
- What is the difference between Cortisol and Adrenaline?
- Adrenaline acts within seconds and clears in minutes, while cortisol is a steroid hormone that works over hours on glucose, immunity and inflammation.
- Is Cortisol bigger than Adrenaline?
- Cortisol is the heavier molecule, 362.5 g/mol against 183.2 g/mol for Adrenaline. Cortisol is C21H30O5 and Adrenaline is C9H13NO3.
Sources and notes
- The answersfrom sourceMoleculeFinderThe first is the pair's answer line; the others are read off the table above.