What's in chocolate

Molecules in it 18

• TheobromineC7H8N4O2

  On MoleculeFinder's curated chocolate list: ~150 to 250 mg per serving of dark chocolate from source

  Chocolate's gentle stimulant, a milder cousin of caffeine that gives cocoa its lingering lift and faint bitterness.

  As a pure substance: LD50 300 mg/kg (dog, oral) from source

• CaffeineC8H10N4O2

  On MoleculeFinder's curated chocolate list from source

  The molecule behind coffee's lift: it keeps you feeling alert by getting in the way of your brain's own sleepiness signal.

  As a pure substance: LD50 192 mg/kg (rat, oral) from source

• PhenethylamineC8H11N

  On MoleculeFinder's curated chocolate list from source

  A trace molecule in chocolate and a natural messenger in the brain, sometimes linked to the flutter of excitement.

  As a pure substance: LD50 100 mg/kg (mouse, iv) from source

• AnandamideC22H37NO2

  On MoleculeFinder's curated chocolate list from source

  Nicknamed the bliss molecule, one of the body's own signals for a calm, contented feeling; it also turns up in tiny amounts in chocolate.

• TyramineC8H11NO

  On MoleculeFinder's curated chocolate list from source

  A molecule that builds up in aged cheese, cured meats, and chocolate as they ripen.

  As a pure substance, its GHS hazard label: signal word Warning; Irritant from source

• CatechinC15H14O6

  On MoleculeFinder's curated chocolate list from source

  The astringent flavonoid family in green tea, cocoa, and red wine that makes the mouth feel dry. Oxidizing them is what turns green tea into black tea.

  As a pure substance, its GHS hazard label: signal word Warning; Irritant from source

• Stearic acidC18H36O2

  On MoleculeFinder's curated chocolate list from source

  The saturated fat that makes beef tallow and cocoa butter solid, and the compound that gives a bar of soap and a candle their body.

  As a pure substance: LD50 21.5 mg/kg (rat, iv) from source

• Oleic acidC18H34O2

  On MoleculeFinder's curated chocolate list from source

  The monounsaturated fat that makes up most of olive oil, and the reason olive oil stays liquid in the fridge where butter goes hard.

  As a pure substance: LD50 74,000 mg/kg (rat, oral) from source

• Palmitic acidC16H32O2

  On MoleculeFinder's curated chocolate list from source

  The most common saturated fat in the human body and in the food supply, and the main fat in palm oil, which is where the name comes from.

  As a pure substance: LD50 57 mg/kg (mouse, iv) from source

• Lecithin

  On MoleculeFinder's curated chocolate list from source

  The fatty emulsifier from soy or egg yolk that keeps chocolate smooth and mayonnaise from splitting. It is a mixture, not a single compound.

• VanillinC8H8O3

  On MoleculeFinder's curated chocolate list from source

  The single molecule that carries the smell of vanilla. Most of the world's supply is made from wood pulp or petrochemicals, not from the orchid pod.

  As a pure substance: LD50 1,580 mg/kg (rat, oral) from source

• SucroseC12H22O11

  On MoleculeFinder's curated chocolate list from source

  Table sugar: one glucose joined to one fructose. It is the reference point the whole sweetness scale is measured against, at exactly 1 times sweet.

  As a pure substance: LD50 29,700 mg/kg (rat, oral) from source

• MagnesiumMg

  On MoleculeFinder's curated chocolate list from source

  The metal that burns with a blinding white flame, the lightest structural metal in use, and the ion at the centre of every chlorophyll molecule. Element 12.

  As a pure substance, its GHS hazard label: signal word Danger; Flammable, Irritant from source

• IronFe

  On MoleculeFinder's curated chocolate list from source

  The metal civilisation is named after, the core of the planet, and the atom at the centre of haemoglobin that carries oxygen in your blood. Element 26.

  As a pure substance, its GHS hazard label: signal word Danger; Flammable, Irritant from source

• CopperCu

  On MoleculeFinder's curated chocolate list from source

  The first metal people smelted, and the reason electricity is affordable to move. It is also a trace nutrient and a surface that kills bacteria on contact. Element 29.

  As a pure substance: LD50 3.5 mg/kg (mouse, other) from source

• LactoseC12H22O11

  On MoleculeFinder's curated chocolate list from source

  Milk sugar, glucose joined to galactose. Most adults worldwide stop making the enzyme that splits it, which is what lactose intolerance is.

• Casein

  On MoleculeFinder's curated chocolate list from source

  The protein that makes up most of the protein in milk. Curdling it is what makes cheese, and it digests slowly, hence slow-release protein powders.

• TryptophanC11H12N2O2

  In this everyday world from source

  An amino acid from everyday protein foods that your body converts, step by step, into the mood and sleep molecules serotonin and melatonin.

  As a pure substance: LD50 1,634 mg/kg (rat, other) from source