[Vicsarina]

I saw this dress on a forum I am on, and my morbid curiosity wished to know what chemical it is. My first assumption was caffeine. However it isn't, but it is similar.

This is the dress/formula:


I'm guessing it's something common, but if anyone can help, I'd be so grateful. I hope I posted this in the right place, but I'm a geologist, not a chemist 

[agrobert]

The closest common chemical to that structure is caffeine, or some purine derivative.  It may have been unintentionally drawn wrong on the dress.  A structure search in CAS returns no hits.  Maybe someone else knows?

[Arkcon]

Well, it's a xanthine derivative, but it's not xanthine itself, caffeine, adenine, or guanine.  Nor is it paraxanthine, theophylline, or ...

Aha ... it's theobromine, a xanthine found in chocolate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theobromine

[Vicsarina]

It's not theobromine. I'd already looked at that. It only has three nitrogen atoms, not four like caffeine and it's derivatives. Thank you for your replies though. It makes me feel better that I've been unable to find the answer so far 

It's actually in between caffeine/theobromine and nicotine. But still *no* idea.

::Edit:: Well not that close to Nicotine :/

[Arkcon]

Rats.  My next thought that it was some common HIV drug, but most of those, like AZT, have very distinctive chemistry.

[agrobert]

Im pretty sure it is a mistake.  There is no reason to do analogous purine chemistry/biochemistry if you lack the essential pyrimidine ring.

[Vicsarina]

Okay, thanks everyone for your replies. I'll just have to live with the knowledge it is unnameable.

[azmanam]

Well, it is name-able.  The IUPAC name would be something like 3,5-dimethyl-3H-imidazo[4,5-c]pyridine-4,6(5H,7H)-dione.  But it's meaningless biologically.  Definitely a mistake

[macman104]

You say you found it on a forum, is it merchandise, or avatar, or....?  Where did you find it, I'd be interested to find out what was said from whoever it originated from (if that sentence made sense).

[Borek]

But it's meaningless biologically.

As long as it was not tested you can't be sure 

[AWK]

If structure is lack of 1 nitrogen atom it may be paraxanthine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraxanthine

[Arkcon]

Oh come now, no one would put paraxanthine on an article of clothing, I mean, really, that's not funny or clever.

(In other words, I got nothing)

[azmanam]

As long as it was not tested you can't be sure

Quite true.  Thanks for correcting me.  I should have elaborated and said that in the context of 'easily-recognizable-molecules-people-would-put-on-clothing'  it is biologically meaningless.

[Vicsarina]

The owner was getting rid of it, and had no idea what the molecule was. That isn't much help.

I think you're right, it is meaningless... Or that the company who made it had a dyslexic designer  Maybe not.