DIARY OF A BIOCHEM MAJOR

Ew…bicyclocompounds…At least its more organic this time!

Bispidine is a pretty interesting compound as those two secondary amines gives it the ability to preform a bunch of different functions. Typically, bispidine is used for forming complexes with metals, a job that it excels at. Since metal ions have a positive charge, the extra electron density around the nitrogens allow them to form coordination complexes with various metals such as iron or copper. For those of you who haven’t taken any inorganic chemistry classes (be glad you haven’t yet, I absolutely hated that class), a coordination complex forms when you have a ligand (in this case bispidine) bonding to a center ion (typically a metal). The bonds aren’t your usual covalent or ionic bonds but are instead favorable interactions due to the difference in charge between the center ion and the ion.

Bispidine also seems to have some medical uses as well. I came across a paper describing how some scientists were using the compound to treat heart attacks. Bispidine is also an important precursor for several drugs as bicyclo rings can help improve drug efficiency for certain diseases.