Molecules Around Me

By: Nickolas Howell

MucinexFast-Max

(Category B)Acetaminophen

GuaifenesinPhenylephrine

Croscarmellose Sodium Crospovidone

Mucinex Fast-Max

Mucinex Fast-Max is a medication swallowed by the user in order to provide symptom relief for general cold/virus symptoms.

Symptom relief applies to headaches, fevers, and congestion.

Compound 1Acetaminophen

Chemical Formula: C8H9NO2

Organic CompoundActive Ingredient

Compound 1Acetaminophen

Acetaminophen is a chemical compound which is used in a wide variety of medicinal products to alleviate headaches, fevers, and minor pain in general.

Acetaminophen works by halting all synthesis of lipids addressed as prostaglandins in the central nervous system which raises the pain threshold of the user and impacts temperature regulation in the brain, which in turn calms the fever.

Its ability to seize fevers is still poorly understood and reduces the credibility of the Acetaminophen being a safe compound.

Compound 2Guaifenesin

Chemical Formula: C10H14O4

Organic CompoundActive Ingredient

Compound 2Guaifenesin

Guaifenesin is a drug used to loosen congestion around the throat in order to make it easier for the user to cough it up orally.

Guaifenesin is generally considered a very safe drugs in normal conditions with normal dosage, and the few side effects that occur are generally nausea and vomitting.

Compound 3Phenylephrine

Chemical Formula: C9H13NO2

Organic CompoundActive Ingredient

Compound 3Phenylephrine

Phenylephrine is a compound used to alleviate stuffy noses along with sinus and ear related symptoms of a flu/cough/virus.

Phenylephrine does not shorten the duration of a cold, and may cause several different side affects, such as, anxiety, pounding heartbeat, loss of appetite, or even dangerously high blood pressure.

Compound 4Croscarmellose

Sodium

Chemical Formula: C12H10Ca3O14 + 4H2OOrganic CompoundInactive Ingredient

Compound 4Croscarmellose Sodium

Croscarmellose Sodium is an inactive ingredient which is used to ‘stimulate’ active ingredients and improve their performance/longevity of effect.

Croscarmellose Sodium has a unique ability to expand and absorb fluids which makes it ideal for active ingredient delivery.

Compound 5Crospovidone

Chemical Formula: C6H9NOOrganic CompoundInactive Ingredient

Compound 5 Crospovidone is a very similar drug to Croscarmellose Sodium, as it is an inactive ingredient used for active ingredient delivery, which is common in the pharmaceutical industry.

Crospovidone is very useful due to its swelling properties and is considered a synthetic provolone analog.

One-A-DayMultivitaminEnergy Boost(Category A)Calcium Carbonate Potassium Chloride

CelluloseMagnesium Oxide

Caffeine

Mucinex Fast-Max

Mucinex Fast-Max is a medication swallowed by the user in order to provide symptom relief for general cold/virus symptoms.

Symptom relief applies to headaches, fevers, and congestion.

Compound 1Calcium Carbonate Chemical Formula: CaCO3

Organic CompoundActive Ingredient

Compound 1Calcium Carbonate

Calcium Carbonate is an active ingredient in many dietary supplements and is meant to be used when the amount of calcium in one’s diet is not a satisfactory amount.

Calcium Carbonate side affects extend beyond; Upset stomach, vomiting, and loss of appetite.

Fun Fact: Calcium Carbonate is also one of the main active ingredients in TUMS as it also relieves heartburn!

Compound 2Potassium Chloride

Chemical Formula: KClInorganic Compound

Active Ingredient

Compound 2 Potassium Chloride has the ability to lower blood pressure and increase overall health of user of dietary supplements which include Potassium Chloride.

Potassium Chloride is no miracle medication, of course, and may cause side affects as listed;

Extreme thirst, strong anxiety, numbness or tingling in hands, coughing up blood, or more.

Compound 3Cellulose

Chemical Formula: C6H10O5

Organic CompoundInactive Ingredient

Compound 3 Cellulose is technically refined wood pulp. Without large doses, Cellulose goes almost unnoticed by the human body and provides little nutritional value.

Cellulose’s main purpose in multivitamins is to provide the manufacturer with the ability to create tablets which are compact and hard yet dissolve quickly.

Cellulose is regarded as safe in normal quantities.

Compound 4Magnesium Oxide

Chemical Formula: MgOInorganic Compound

Active Ingredient

Compound 4 Magnesium Oxide has many health benefits which have led to its immense popularity amongst dietary supplements.

Magnesium Oxide can be used for treating heartburn, acid indigestion, sour stomach, or simply low magnesium levels in the body.

Magnesium has one common side affect, which is diarrhea. However, severe allergic reactions can be life threatening.

Compound 5Caffeine

Chemical Formula: C8H10N4O2

Organic CompoundActive Ingredient

Compound 5 The particular One-A-Days supplement we are looking at right now relies on caffeine for its energy boosting capabilities.

Caffeine is a stimulant drug, meaning that caffeine speeds the travel of messages been the body and the brain. Caffeine is found in several different types of seeds; Coffee arabica, Camilia sinensis, Cola acuminate, and more.

Caffeine’s side effects include increased alertness, restlessness, anxiety and irritability, headache, stomach pains, and more.

Caffeine is popularly considered a ‘safe’ drug, but this is completely false. There is no such thing as a safe drug and caffeine concentrate can easily stop one’s heart.

Dove’sBody Wash

(Category C)Water

Sodium Laureth Sulfate Cocamide MEA

Acrylates Copolymer Polyethylene

Dove’s Body Wash

Dove’s Body Wash, specifically Men +Care deep clean, is a body/face wash and moisturizer used to wash and clean one’s body.

Compound 1Water

Chemical Formula: H2OInorganic CompoundInactive Ingredient

Compound 1 H2O, or water, is a very unique substance which is the foundation for life on Earth as a whole.

Water is capable of acting as an acid or a base, the only substance on earth that cycles through all 3 states of matter, but most importantly, Water is an incredible solvent.

Water is the most universal solvent, which makes it practice in many products, and even Dove’s Men +Care body wash.

Compound 2Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Chemical Formula: CH3(CH2)10CH2(OCH2CH2)nOSO3

NOrganic CompoundActive Ingredient

Compound 2 Sodium Laureth Sulfate is an excellent dissolvent, and gives the subject body wash its cleaning abilities.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate is also known to cause irritation to the skin in moderate dosages when not washed off immediately.

This compound is also used in other hygiene related products, such as toothpaste.

Compound 3Cocamide MEA

Chemical Formula: CH3(CH2)nCONHCH2CH2OH

Organic CompoundInactive Ingredient

Compound 3 Cocamide MEA is a compound derived from fatty acids inside coconut oil, and is mainly used in shampoo/body wash products.

Cocamide’s purpose in shampoo/body wash is to thicken the aqueous solution and to increase the amount of bubbles formed by the cleaning product when applied.

This compound is not always safe, as when in a vapor this compound is incredibly toxic and deadly.

Compound 4Polyethylene

Chemical Formula: (C2H4)n

Organic CompoundInactive Ingredient

Compound 4 Have you ever used body wash with tiny little beads? Well those beads actually consist of Polyethylene and allow your body wash to wash away dirt more effectively.

Polyethylene is an inactive ingredient and is actually causing a lot of controversy right now. Body washes including this compound have only been around for a little while, but these beads are making their way through filtration systems and intro fresh-water lakes. These sort of body wash/shampoos may be banned in the next few years.

Compound 5Ammonium ChlorideChemical Formula: NH4Cl

Inorganic CompoundInactive Ingredient

Compound 5 Ammonium Chloride is used in body wash and shampoo products for similar reasons as Cocamide MEA. This compound effectively thickens the body wash and makes it easier to apply.

However, Ammonium Chloride has also been found to cause skin irritation to many users.

Reference Page• Mucinex Fast Max Ingredients: http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/mucinex-maximum-strength-fast-max-adult-caplets-cold--sinus/ID=prod6144311-product

• http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Acetaminophen

• http://www.drugs.com/guaifenesin.html

• http://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/WO2008089260A2/imgf000007_0001.png

• http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/archives/image.cfm?archiveid=25495&type=img&name=phenylephrine-01.jpg

• http://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-21821/phenylephrine-oral/details

• http://www.livestrong.com/article/314779-croscarmellose-sodium-side-effects/

• http://www.drugs.com/inactive/crospovidone-31.html

• http://www.newdruginfo.com/pharmacopeia/usp28/v28230/uspnf/pub/images/v28230/g-1118.gif

• http://static.coleparmer.com/large_images/AGROS19677.jpg

• One A Day Multivitamin: http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/one-a-day-energy-multivitamin/multimineral-supplement-tablets/ID=prod6083372-product

• https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a601032.html

• http://www.drugs.com/potassium_chloride.html

• http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/image/imagefly.cgi?cid=10112&width=500&height=500

• http://www.drugs.com/inactive/cellulose-164.html

• http://static.coleparmer.com/large_images/AGROS20515.jpg

• http://www.drugs.com/cdi/magnesium-oxide.html

• http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/drug-facts/caffeine

• Dove’s Body Wash: http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/dove-men%2bcare-body-wash-deep-clean/ID=prod6013607-product

• http://www.ozh2o.com/h2phys.html

• https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/H2O_Lewis_Structure_PNG.png

• https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwj5xIz4xdXJAhVL6iYKHdkAAREQFggcMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fww

w.morroccomethod.com%2Fblog%2Fwhat-is-cocamide-mea-in-shampoos%2F&usg=AFQjCNF58v8-uo5eLGrAtF0VTl_LwSP1qQ&sig2=U4d1zgqgInJShoBDmXf5

LQ

• http://cdn-0.sci-toys.com/ingredients/cocamide_dea.gif

• http://www.britannica.com/science/polyethylene

• https://www.thechemco.com/chemical/ammonium-chloride/