Tremulacin Molecule

Borosilicate glass, 8.5in x 7.5in x 4.5in, 2024

Tremulacin Molecule was commissioned by UW-Madison Professor Emeritus of Entomology Rick Lindroth. Tremulacin is a salicinoid phenolic glycoside. Salicinoids are the signature secondary metabolites of the plant family Salicaceae (poplars and willow), and have been used by humans for millennia for their analgesic properties. (Acetylsalicylic acid, better known as aspirin, is a close structural analog.) Salicinoids are chemical defenses, protecting poplars and willows from a diverse array of herbivores (insects and mammals). 

Rick Lindroth studied this molecule and its properties throughout his entire career, and commissioned this model to commemorate his professional research.