Marmelaadin

Marmelaadin is a fictional chemical compound created for educational purposes in chemistry and science communication. Used as a placeholder in problems about aromatic systems, heterocycles, and conjugation, it has no verified existence in nature or laboratory records.

Several schematic structures appear in textbooks, typically portraying a polycyclic aromatic framework with one or more heteroatoms to illustrate resonance, substitution effects, and stability. The name combines a playful hint of marmalade with the -adin suffix common in chemical nomenclature, chosen to be memorable rather than descriptive of a real substance.

In teaching, marmelaadin is employed to demonstrate concepts such as electrophilic aromatic substitution, conjugate addition to π-systems, and the influence of substituents on reactivity. Because it is fictional, diagrams are schematic, and procedures described for marmelaadin are hypothetical and not intended for laboratory execution.

Pedagogical use often appears in introductory organic chemistry texts and problem sets to illustrate general principles without relying on real compounds. The term serves to foster understanding of structure–property relationships while avoiding confusion with actual substances that have verified synthesis and safety data.

See also: aromaticity, heterocycles, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, educational examples, thought experiments.