Gelsemin

/ˈdʒɛlsəmɪn/ noun

Definition

A variant or early name for gelsemine, the primary toxic alkaloid compound found in yellow jasmine plants.

Etymology

A variant spelling or early chemical naming of gelsemine from the plant genus Gelsemium, using the suffix '-in' common in alkaloid nomenclature.

Kelly Says

Gelsemin shows how messy early chemistry was—the same compound had multiple names depending on who isolated it and where they published! Standardization didn't happen until the 20th century.

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