Molecule structure · ThinkDotCo (original composition from PubChem data) · Compound isolated 1860
Cocaine molecule structure print
This design is the skeletal structure of cocaine, methyl benzoylecgonine (C17H21NO4), the tropane alkaloid of the coca leaf, drawn as a line diagram with its name and formula on a cream ground. The compound was isolated from coca leaves by the German chemist Albert Niemann in 1860, and its structure was established by Richard Willstätter in 1898.
History
Coca leaves had been chewed in the Andes for thousands of years when European chemists began looking for the active compound in the 1850s. Niemann, a doctoral student at Göttingen, obtained it pure in 1860 and gave it its name. In 1884 the Viennese doctor Karl Koller showed that it numbed the eye, making it the first local anaesthetic used in surgery; Willstätter's structural work and synthesis followed in 1898, and the tropane ring he described became a model for a whole family of alkaloids.
The compound was later placed under strict international control, and it remains a controlled substance everywhere. This page describes the molecule, its chemistry and the artwork only; it is not medical information.
What the print shows
The standard skeletal formula: the bicyclic tropane ring with its N-methyl nitrogen bridge, the methyl ester (COOCH3) and the benzoyl ester group drawn to the side, with wedge bonds at the stereocentres. Below it the name COCAINE and the formula C17H21NO4 in letter-spaced type on a warm cream ground.
The poster is a vertical 2 : 3 composition rendered at full 300 DPI for the largest size, 24 by 36 inches. The same design is printed on a unisex tee.
Source and licence
Source: PubChem, National Library of Medicine (compound data).
Licence: The structure is drawn from PubChem's public-domain chemical data (a US government database). The composition, typography and layout are an original ThinkDotCo work.
Pairs with the other molecule prints in the shop as a chemistry gallery wall.
Available sizes and prices
Print Etsy listing 4593296543
From $29.99; sizes and options are on the listing (largest size quoted: 24 × 36 in).
Unisex T-shirt Etsy listing 4516436952
From $41.99, priced per size and colour on the listing. Printed to order on a Bella+Canvas 3001 unisex tee.
Buy
- Cocaine Molecule (print): buy on Etsy, from $29.99.
- Cocaine Molecule (unisex t-shirt): buy on Etsy, from $41.99.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the chemical formula of cocaine?
- C17H21NO4. Its systematic name is methyl benzoylecgonine; it is a tropane alkaloid, the same ring family as atropine.
- Who isolated cocaine?
- Albert Niemann, at the University of Göttingen, in 1860. Richard Willstätter worked out the structure and synthesised it in 1898.
- Is this print medical advice?
- No. It is a decorative, accurate drawing of the molecule's structure as recorded in PubChem, with its name and formula.
- Which formats are available?
- An unframed poster or a framed print in 8 by 12, 12 by 18, 16 by 24 and 24 by 36 inches, and a printed unisex tee. Prices are listed on this page.
Sources
Published 20 Oct 2026; prices are the live Etsy prices as of 20 Oct 2026. The work is public domain; this page's text is © ThinkDotCo and may be quoted with a link.