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But it was not clear how vitamin B1, or its derivative thiamine pyrophosphate, allowed proteins to expand their chemical repertoire.

Ingredients in regular marshmallows can include corn syrup, dextrose and a chemical called tetrasodium pyrophosphate -- which is sometimes found in household detergents.

It’s certainly a much more labor-intensive process than simply walking to the nearest McDonald’s location and buying some — but this way, you can make them without chemical additives like citric acid and sodium acid pyrophosphate.

At equilibrium, forward and backward steps would occur with equal frequency; normally other metabolic processes drive the reaction forward by removing pyrophosphate and supplying the four kinds of nucleoside triphosphate.

They give a characteristic pale red precipitate with sodium pyrophosphate, soluble in an excess of the precipitant; they also form precipitates on the addition of platinic chloride and potassium ferrocyanide.