I got another tattoo yesterday by Nille at Salvation Tattoo, a serotonin molecule.
Serotonin is both a classical neurotransmitter and a signaling molecule. To simplify things, it is a brain chemical that also can be found throughout the body (primarily in the digestive system). Its functions are among other things to help control happiness, sleep, aggression, impulsiveness, appetite, sexual lust, body temperature and metabolism. Due to a condition of mine, I have lower serotonin levels than most people. To fix that, I decided to add some of my own. 😉
I have stylized the molecule by replacing the letters HO, HN and NH2 with rings. Aside from that, I have thickened the lines and changed the angles on the inner parts slightly. If this should be entirely correct, I should replace the corners with rings as well, as they in this case represent carbon. But I chose style over substance, everything is still explainable and it looks much better this way. Big thanks to Micke Lind for the input on the molecule design!
Tattooing the elbow is probably the most painful ink I’ve done so far. The hearts on my inner upper arms did hurt a lot (and longer), but there were more twitching involved when doing the elbow.
Way to mess it up. You replaced the three chemical groups with rings…the same rings at that..and then on top of it changed the angles. Sorry dude thats no longer serotonin, its not actually any molecule known to man. Good try on being creatie, failure at a this “I should have taken chemistry in college” tattoo.
As I stated in the text; “I have stylized the molecule by replacing the letters HO, HN and NH2 with rings. Aside from that, I have thickened the lines and changed the angles on the inner parts slightly”.
By changing the angles, I merely changed the design of the inner lines from |____| (imagine the top line) to /____\, so nothing regarding the structure of the molecule is changed.
Writing the letters inside the circles would make it fully comprehendible (even thought that is not how you typically do it).
changing the angle is changing the structure. there is a weird thing called conformation isomers. you really failed on this one. next time you can try not to pretend you to organic chem. sorry. you cant just change what groups are on a molecule. failure.
Changing the angle at which the functional group is attached does not change the molecule, it is perhaps not sterically correct but is still the same molecule. Personally, if I was to get one id get the functional groups added in full, but hey, I’m no where brace enough to get a tattoo. The guy likes his tattoo and it has a meaning to him, lighten up, and freshen up on your chemistry
Hi BT, thanks for your comment. I’ve uploaded an additional image (last in the gallery) to demonstrate what I’ve actually changed. Not the angle of the inner lines themselves, but the angle of the end of the lines (if that makes any sense). I would be very interested in getting some feedback from you as to if this would have any effect on conformational isomerism (which is, as I understand it, about the angle/rotation of the actual lines/bonds).
Yo! I dig it. I have a serotonin molecule tattoo as well. I kept everything exactly how it looks and everything, but I put it in UV Light Reactant tattoo ink. 🙂
Actually I dig it (and I have a PhD in chemistry). BT was wrong that “changing the angles changes the molecule”. Like I tell my students, Lewis structure din’t have to show you the correct angles, as long as they have the correct attachments (you can think of it as a condensed Lewis Structure). Chemists do it all the time. But you didn’t really change any angles of the molecule itself, don’t know what he’s complaining about. The only thing I would have kept to make it 100% scientifically accurate would be the N’s and O’s. But the version with… Read more »
Thanks Jason, I appreciate it! What I sometimes do when people are asking is to write in the letters with a pen inside the circles. Usually clears things up. 🙂
What do the letters stand for
NH?
HO?
NH2?
I actually just got this tattoo done today! Albeit much smaller, and on my wrist. Thanks for creating it. 😉 I hope it’s flattering and not annoying that I took your design!
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That’s great! Not annoyed at all – happiness should be shared. And I do feel flattered. 🙂
hey man, any chance you could design this but for adrenaline?? i’d be so grateful if you could so i could get a stencil made! no worries if not and thanks all the same!
Hi JJ. Have a look at this: http://www.joellepoulos.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/molecular-structure-temporary-tattoo-940×730.jpg
Not done by me, but your tattoo artist should easily be able to use it, simply make the circles larger and add the angles as I’ve done in my design (bring him/her both for reference). Good luck!
good tattoo from argentina man
What do the letters stand for
NH?
HO?
NH2?