Molecule of the day – Fucnose – any carbohydrate of indeterminate structure. These sugar molecules are so tough to crack that you may hear chemistry professors shout its name from the top of their voice in exasperation at just how hard it is to identify. Fucnose is loosely related in structure to godnose (an early name for vitamin C, having originally been known as ignose!). Check out Paul May’s silly molecules site for more (genuine) molecules with (you guessed it) silly names and to read the complete tale of godnose and ignose.