Getting the pure stuff

Happy New Year!

Enjoy a quick and fun article on the science of saffron. A most expensive spice, despite how much you pay for cardamom at the supermarket. Apparently one can cut one's stash with turmeric, most likely to turn a little extra profit. If you have some coffee filters and bleach, though, you can out these charlatans!

On a quick aside, I rarely see such wonderfully water soluble molecules in my line of work. Most prosecuted small molecules these days are terribly hydrophobic.

Diablo Flavor

From Molecule of the Day:

The Devil's Flavor Wheel.


Not sure what the differences between 'farty', 'fecal' and 'eggy' are, but you get the idea.