Hall of Fame or Shame?

THG is a designer drug engineered by organic chemist Patrick Arnold. Mr. Arnold ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute steroids. Designer drugs are new molecules, often isomers of existing drugs which have the same or similar biological properties as existing drugs or that can entirely different properties (such as methamphetamine and common nasal amphetamines). These drugs are usually unknown to law enforcement agencies and testing organizations like the Olympic Analytical Laboratory since there is no analytical methods to detect them or their effects. Because they are designed isomers, derivative drugs are something that may work for athletes who want to be on the “clear”while being subjected to rigorous and periodic drug testing. Since THG is derived from similar drugs, it is referred to as a “derivative drug.” The drug can produce the same effects as testosterone (another anabolic steroid naturally found in males). Some studies report that THG is as much as ten times more potent than testosterone in smaller doses.

Barry Bonds currently holds the record for hitting the most home runs in baseball history. Nonetheless, his bid for election into the Baseball Hall of Fame was overwhelmingly rejected in 2013 because it was unclear whether talent or chemistry was responsible for the remarkable achievement. Mr. Bonds was accused of using anabolic steroids to enhance his athletic performance. Investigations into these allegations led to his connection with a pharmaceutical company called Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO).* BALCO has been accused of acting as a supplier of steroids to many professional athletes, primarily baseball players. The drug allegedly distributed by BALCO to athletes included erythropoietin, human growth hormone, modafinil, testosterone cream, and tetrahydrogestrinone (THG). Each of these drugs has different effects, ranging from anabolic effects to sensory stimulation. Bonds was accused of taking (THG) or a similar derivative, but at the time MLB drug testing, screening was not able to identify the specific derivative. However, private analyses of THG derivitives using HMRS (high resolution mass spectrometry) and LC (liquid crystallography) did show that THG derivitives similar to those synthesized by BALCO would have chemical characterization (molecular formula and structure) and similar function(metabolic effects) as THG and other anabolic steroids.

Respond to the following prompt using your knowledge of Isomers, and derivative drugs. Start out your response with defining the classification of steroids as an organic molecule (what class to they belong to?), explain what anabolic means, and then explain isomers siting examples such as estradiol and testosterone, do some research on the Bonds case. Perhaps dig into the chemistry of the drug THG. 

Prompt: Mr. Bonds was convicted on a single count of obstruction of justice in 2011. After all this time, he never admitted to using steroids, nor was he definitively proven to have used steroids knowingly. Do you think he deserves to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame? Explain your reasoning based on the case information above and our discussion of Isomers.