Carboxylic acid Memes

Behold, the perfluorinated carboxylic acid – organic chemistry's equivalent of putting chrome rims on a Honda Civic. Those F atoms are basically the chemical version of someone saying "but wait, there's more!" seventeen times in an infomercial. Organic chemists look at this molecule the way Gollum looks at the ring – "MORE FLUORINE, MY PRECIOUS!" Because apparently, regular carbon chains weren't toxic and persistent enough without turning them into the chemical equivalent of that friend who just won't leave your house after the party ends. Fun fact: These PFAS compounds stick around in the environment longer than most academic careers. Maybe that's why chemists love them so much – they're seeking the stability they'll never have before tenure.

The structural formula of hope! This meme brilliantly represents 2020 vs 2021 as a carboxylic acid functional group. The negative charge on 2020 perfectly captures how that year was basically an electron-stealing nightmare, while 2021 sits atop as the carbonyl group—still attached but theoretically more stable. Spoiler alert from the future: turns out both years were part of the same chaotic molecule. Just like in resonance structures, the pain was simply delocalized across time. Chemistry doesn't lie, folks—we're all just atoms trying not to lose our electrons in this crazy reaction called life.

Behold the Carboxylic Acid Table of Elements ! Someone replaced every element with the same carboxylic acid structure (COOH), creating the most chemically redundant periodic table in history! It's like going to a costume party where everyone decided to dress as the same molecule. Chemistry professors would either have a meltdown or burst into uncontrollable laughter seeing their beloved periodic diversity reduced to a monoculture of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Next up: the periodic table of just "H" for when you want to be even more basic!