Brain Teasers
Mysterious Membership
Riddle
Riddles are little poems or phrases that pose a question that needs answering. Riddles frequently rhyme, but this is not a requirement.Riddle
Twenty-four members make me a lively blend
Eight are pressured for a girl to befriend
Ten represented at the head of a table's left end
Four members, throughout our skies extend
My last two, released by a leafy friend
Into your system, rejuvenation do I send
What am I?
Eight are pressured for a girl to befriend
Ten represented at the head of a table's left end
Four members, throughout our skies extend
My last two, released by a leafy friend
Into your system, rejuvenation do I send
What am I?
Hint
Hint 1: I'll pick you up in the morning.Hint 2: Think small; I mean REALLY small - at the molecular level.
Answer
caffeineThe chemical formula for caffeine is C8H10N4O2. Thus:
line 1: The total number of atoms ("members") comprising a caffeine molecule is 24 ("twenty-four") (8+10+4+2). Caffeine is a stimulant for the nervous system, therefore making it a chemical compound which is a "lively blend".
line 2: The "C8" of caffeine (or C8H10N4O2). Eight (8) atoms/members of caffeine are those of carbon, which can become diamond under sufficient and prolonged pressurization ("pressured"). The phrase "for a girl to befriend" alludes to the saying "diamonds are a girl's best friend".
line 3: The "H10" of caffeine (or C8H10N4O2). Ten (10) atoms/members of caffeine are those of hydrogen, which is an element (symbol: H, atomic number: 1) found at the top left-hand corner of the periodic table of elements, i.e. "at the head of a table's left end".
line 4: The "N4" of caffeine (or C8H10N4O2). Four (4) atoms/members of caffeine are those of nitrogen, which makes up about 78% of the Earth's atmosphere.
line 5: The "O2" of caffeine (or C8H10N4O2). Two (2) atoms/members of caffeine are those of oxygen, which is released by a plant ("a leafy friend") through the process of photosynthesis.
line 6: Caffeine delivers "rejuvenation" (i.e. a boost) to "your system" to make you feel more energetic.
For the first hint, caffeine is a stimulant, so it can "pick you up" i.e. give you energy, if you drink coffee, for example, or some other beverage containing caffeine "in the morning".
Hide Hint Show Hint Hide Answer Show Answer
What Next?
View a Similar Brain Teaser...
If you become a registered user you can vote on this riddle, keep track of which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
Solve a Puzzle
Comments hidden to avoid spoilers.
Follow Braingle!