The puzzle provides a list of chemical reactions which add or remove a functional group from a molecule. The key to the solution is figuring out what functional group gets added or removed and then making the same change to the appropriate reactant word.
The descriptions of the reactions suggest that an extra element needs to be added in order to complete the change from the reactant to the product words. These additional elements from the periodic table are shown on the left and spell CALL IN AMBER BEER
when read in the reaction order.
Additional Element | Reactants | Reactions | Products |
---|---|---|---|
C
|
ONI Japanese troll monster |
+HBr Hydrobromination |
BRONCHI Branching lung structures |
Al
|
GOON Hired mob thug |
-NO Denytrosylation |
GOAL Unit of scoring in soccer |
Li
|
EMO Sad teenage phase |
+SNa Herz Reaction |
SEMOLINA Durum wheat middlings |
N
|
PROCHOICE Abortion Stance |
-COOH Decarboxylation |
PRINCE Son of a monarch |
Am
|
SCOOP Serving of frozen dessert |
-OO Dexoxygenation |
SCAMP Impish rascal |
B
|
SPILL Disaster with a liquid |
+NOO Nitration |
SPOONBILL Long-legged bird akin to an ibis |
Er
|
CIS Molecular structure with two R groups on the same plane relative to a molecular bond |
+HH Hydrogenation |
CHERISH To hold dear |
Be
|
MIR First modular space station |
+CO Carbonylation |
MICROBE Tiny creature unseen with the naked eye |
Er
|
PINE long-needled conifer |
+O Epoxidation |
PIONEER Explorer or frontiersman, for example |