Covalent Compounds and Organic Molecules

This is used as a decongestant and has no performance-improving properties, whereas its optically active isomer, D-methamphetamine (commonly known as ‘speed’), is a prohibited drug and is a performance improver. However, he was convicted because the Olympic rules and accompanying analysis of materials did not discriminate between the two isomers. All they said was that he had ingested methamphetamine and that was illegal. The chemical explanation of this will be discussed in this chapter. Many believe he was wrongly penalized because of someone’s chemical ignorance of the difference between these D-and L-compounds.
The following sections start to give the background information of chemical bonding leading up to the chemistry behind the problem of Alan Baxter.

For separate atoms to combine together to form a new stable molecule, the atoms must form a complete outer electron shell. The completely full electron shell resembles those of the group 8 elements of the periodic table, namely helium, neon and argon. This can be achieved in one of two ways:
by sharing electrons with other atoms (covalent bonding), e.g. H:H as hydrogen gas, H2;
by giving away excess electrons or taking up electrons, forming ions (ionic bonding), e.g. H þ Cl .
This chapter will look at the first of these options, covalent bonding.
If you are in doubt about writing simple chemical formula or how to balance an equation, see formula and balancing chemical equations in the Glossary. If you are uncertain of any symbol for an element then refer to the lists in the Appendies.