Molecule structure · ThinkDotCo (original composition from PubChem data) · Compound isolated circa 1804
Morphine molecule structure print
This design is the skeletal structure of morphine (C17H19NO3), the principal alkaloid of the opium poppy, drawn as a clean line diagram with its name and formula on a cream ground. Morphine was the first alkaloid ever isolated from a plant, by the German pharmacist Friedrich Sertürner around 1804, and the structure drawn here is the one settled by Robert Robinson in 1925.
History
Opium had been used for thousands of years before anyone knew what in it was active. Sertürner, a pharmacist's assistant in Paderborn, isolated a crystalline base from it in the first years of the 19th century and named it after Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams; his fuller report appeared in 1817. It opened the field of alkaloid chemistry.
The molecule's five-ring structure resisted chemists for more than a century. Robert Robinson proposed the correct structure in 1925, and Marshall Gates completed the first total synthesis in 1952, a landmark of organic chemistry. This page describes the molecule and the artwork only; it is not medical information.
What the print shows
The standard skeletal formula of morphine: a fused ring system with the phenol and alcohol hydroxyl groups (OH), the ether bridge, the nitrogen with its methyl group, and the wedge-and-dash bonds that show the molecule's three-dimensional stereochemistry. Below it the name MORPHINE and the formula C17H19NO3 are set in letter-spaced type. The ground is a warm cream; the lines are near-black.
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.
Available sizes and prices
Print Etsy listing 4593307786
From $29.99; sizes and options are on the listing (largest size quoted: 24 × 36 in).
Unisex T-shirt Etsy listing 4515617556
From $41.99, priced per size and colour on the listing. Printed to order on a Bella+Canvas 3001 unisex tee.
Buy
- Morphine Molecule (print): buy on Etsy, from $29.99.
- Morphine Molecule (unisex t-shirt): buy on Etsy, from $41.99.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the chemical formula of morphine?
- C17H19NO3. It is a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid with a molecular mass of about 285 g/mol, and the diagram on the print shows its five fused rings.
- Who discovered morphine?
- Friedrich Sertürner, a German pharmacist, isolated it from opium around 1804 and published a full account in 1817. It was the first alkaloid isolated from any plant.
- Is this print a scientific diagram?
- It is a correct skeletal structure as recorded in PubChem, drawn in a minimal style for the wall. It is decorative and educational, not medical guidance.
- Which sizes and 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 and on the Etsy listings.
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.