Various small vials are lying around on the work surface of the laboratory, with small labels in between. Unfortunately, the scientist didn't manage to stick the labels on the containers appropriately. Well, grab the goggles lying in a drawer and find out what each vial contains - by smelling it chemically! Look closely at the stereochemistry of the target molecule and you'll get a clue to solving the puzzle!
Materials needed:
- 4 snap lid jars with aroma oil and element symbol
- Fragrance cards
Experiment execution:
- Sniff at the different samples by opening the lids separately, without changing the order.
- Match the smells. The four smells match the suggestions on the scent card. Choose the correct four!
Task and puzzle:
- Note the fragrance card number (number in the bottom left corner) in the table below.
| Element symbol on snap lid jar | C | H | N | S |
| Fragrance card number | ||||
| Number of atoms in the target molecule | Carbon | Hydrogen | Nitrogen | Sulfur |
- From the table, you can determine a molecular formula. This fits one or more structural formula shown on the fragrance cards. You have to find these fragrance card(s).
- Now, crack the code: Find the stereocenter in the respective structural formula. The position of the stereocenter, the little red number, is part of the final code.
