917:, so that a ship traveling at relativistic speeds can age at the same rate as the rest of the universe, allowing it to return to its starting point within months, rather than centuries, of its departure. Vernon emphasizes that starship pilots are expected to match endochronicity with relativity exactly: a sixty-second difference between the two is regarded as barely acceptable, and a 120-second difference is considered grounds for dismissal. Vernon also emphasizes that endochronic molecules are unstable, and must be renewed before each trip, so that an endochronic ship that finds itself lost might not have sufficient endochronicity to return to its proper time. A ship that finds itself in the future might be able to re-endochronize itself if the technology still exists; a ship that finds itself in the past will be marooned there.
77:
1027:, a mysterious liquid called "motilene" acts as the primary source of electrical power in the setting, and is pumped throughout the city in pipes in lieu of a traditional electrical grid, or alternatively placed into special jars to act as portable batteries. A research note can be found in one location which makes reference to "thiomotilene crystals" and their "endochronic properties", which in turn strongly suggests motilene's name be derived from thiotimoline.
1039:
139:
36:
897:(1973). In it, Admiral Vernon, Commandant of the Astronautic Academy, gives a speech to the graduating "Class of '22". Vernon's speech explains that thiotimoline was first mentioned in 1948 by a semi-mythical scientist named Azimuth or Asymptote, but that serious study of the compound didn't begin until the 21st century scientist Almirante worked out the theory of
798:
Asimov wrote a third thiotimoline article on 14 November 1959 called "Thiotimoline and the Space Age". Instead of a fake scientific paper, this third article took the form of an address by Asimov to the 12th annual meeting of the
American Chronochemical Society, a nonexistent scientific society. In
761:
in the compound's structural formula are so starved of space that some are forced into the time dimension. According to the second article, thiotimoline's time of solubility varies depending on the determination of the person adding the water. It also claims that one effect is that when people with
960:
In Glen Bever's story "And
Silently Vanish Away" a chemist with the unique ability to use psychokinetic catalysis to speed up difficult reactions is shocked by a lab explosion and the mixture he was working on gets changed. Under analysis the structure never appears to be the same twice and when the
710:
By that time Asimov had been writing professionally for nine years and would soon write a doctoral dissertation. He feared that the experience of writing readable prose for publication (i.e. science fiction) might have impaired his ability to write the turgid prose typical of academic discourse, and
818:
According to Asimov, two
Scottish researchers have developed a "telechronic battery", which uses a series of 77,000 interconnected endochronometers to allow a final sample of thiotimoline to dissolve up to a day before water is added to an initial sample. Asimov says there is "strong, if indirect,
968:
Topi H. Barr's story "Antithiotimoline" deals with a chemist who accidentally creates a thiotimoline-like compound which extrudes only into the past, enabling the scientist to create images of past events. The narrator complains that thiotimoline is extremely difficult to obtain, and suspects that
748:
In 1952, Asimov wrote a second spoof scientific paper on thiotimoline called "The
Micropsychiatric Applications of Thiotimoline". Like the first, it included charts, graphs, tables, and citations of fake articles from fake journals (along with one real citation: Asimov's own earlier spoof article
735:
under his own name, and copies of the issue circulated at the
Columbia chemistry department. Asimov believed that Campbell had done so out of greater wisdom. His examiners told him that they accepted his dissertation by asking a final question about thiotimoline, resulting in him having to be led
830:", to get a sample of thiotimoline to dissolve without later adding water to it. In every case where the thiotimoline dissolved, some accident occurred that caused some water to be added to it at the proper time. Several attempts to create a Heisenberg failure in the mid-1950s coincided with a
711:
decided to practice with a spoof article (including charts, graphs, tables, and citations of fake articles in nonexistent journals) describing experiments on a compound, thiotimoline, that was so soluble that it dissolved in water up to 1.12 seconds before the water was added.
961:
substance is injected into lab rats they start to silently and suddenly vanish. It is found that one part of the compound is a molecule which spreads out into four dimensions. The four-dimensional molecule is thiotimoline. The story appeared in the
November 1971 issue of
766:
add the water, some parts of the thiotimoline dissolve before others, due to some of the individual's personalities being more determined than others. "The
Micropsychiatric Applications of Thiotimoline" appeared in the December 1953 issue of
803:". Asimov laments the skepticism with which chronochemistry has been greeted in America, noting with sorrow that his address has only attracted fifteen attendees. He then contrasts the thriving state of chronochemistry in the
909:
to be built out of endochronic materials. One effect of endochronicity is that if one fails to add water to an object that has reacted to water, the object will travel into the future in search of water to interact with.
819:
evidence that the Soviet Union possesses even more sophisticated devices and is turning them out in commercial quantities". He believes that the
Soviets are using telechronic batteries to determine ahead of time whether
757:). This second article described the use of thiotimoline to establish a quantitative classification of "certain mental disorders". It also expounds a putative rationale for thiotimoline's behaviour: namely that the
736:
from the room while laughing hysterically with relief. The article made Asimov famous for the first time outside science fiction, as chemists shared copies of the article. He heard that many children went to the
640:
titled "The
Endochronic Properties of Resublimated Thiotimoline" in 1948. The major peculiarity of the chemical is its "endochronicity": it starts dissolving before it makes contact with water.
724:, accepted it for publication on 10 June, agreeing to Asimov's request that it appear under a pseudonym in deference to Asimov's concern that he might alienate potential doctoral examiners at
799:
his address, Asimov "describes" his first experiments with thiotimoline in July 1947, and timing the compound's dissolution with the original endochronometer, "the same instrument now at the
840:
striking New
England in such a manner as to suggest that nature would find a way to add water whatever man decided, if man were to be resolute in not adding water. Asimov speculated that
1057:
924:. The graduates felt no acceleration because canceling out time dilation also caused the canceling out of inertia. When Vernon concludes his speech, the graduates will be landing in the
920:
Finally, Vernon reveals that the auditorium where he is giving his speech is actually an endochronic starship, and that during his speech, they have all flown to the outskirts of the
703:
in water. As he observed the crystals dissolve as soon as they hit the water's surface, it occurred to him that if catechol were any more soluble, then it would dissolve
935:
After they land, Vernon receives an awful shock and passes out when his pilot informs him that the ship is surrounded by Indians. Vernon wrongly assumed the pilot meant
875:
820:
893:
574:
780:(1957), under the joint title "The Marvellous Properties of Thiotimoline". Asimov also included the original article in his 1972 collection
651:
In Asimov's writings the endochronicity of thiotimoline is explained by the fact that in the thiotimoline molecule, there is at least one
995:
663:, one of the bonds projects into the future and another into the past. Thiotimoline is derived from the bark of the (fictitious) shrub
939:, and thought that they had landed centuries in the past. But the pilot only meant that they had landed at the correct time but near
1222:
913:
An individual with sufficient inborn talent, Vernon explains, can perfectly balance a starship's endochronicity with relativistic
1227:
699:
In 1947 Asimov was engaged in doctoral research in chemistry and, as part of his experimental procedure, he needed to dissolve
1193:
1180:
1106:
969:
the CIA or other agencies are controlling the supply for their own reasons. The story appeared in the December 1977 issue of
1063:
1185:
714:
Asimov wrote the article on 8 June 1947, but was uncertain as to whether the resulting work of fiction was publishable.
1015:
643:
Asimov went on to write three additional short stories, each describing different properties or uses of thiotimoline.
200:
182:
120:
98:
63:
164:
91:
1189:
473:
763:
149:
887:
Asimov's final piece on thiotimoline was a short story titled "Thiotimoline to the Stars", which he wrote for
1162:"Yet Another Thiotimoline Application" in IEEE Design & Test of Computers, vol. 19, no. 02, pp. 80, 2002.
948:
49:
1212:
17:
774:
The first two thiotimoline "articles" appeared together in Asimov's first collection of science essays,
1217:
853:
720:
372:
271:
1135:
1232:
85:
1007:
888:
800:
737:
160:
637:
102:
827:
1161:
1150:
852:. He then concludes with some speculation about thiotimoline's potential applications as a
688:
8:
1052:
991:
725:
990:'s 1989 story "The Asenion Solution", thiotimoline is used to send excess quantities of
731:
Some months later Asimov was alarmed to see the piece appear in the March 1948 issue of
1151:"The Last Byte" in IEEE Design & Test of Computers, vol. 18, no. 06, pp. 80, 2001.
156:
1102:
987:
929:
808:
484:
383:
282:
55:
1197:
1094:
898:
782:
715:
548:
447:
346:
245:
976:
837:
831:
776:
629:
558:
457:
356:
255:
1098:
743:
1093:, Science and Fiction, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 1–22,
1067:, another Asimov scientific spoof about a goose which actually laid golden eggs
925:
834:
812:
680:
656:
1086:
1206:
1176:
1044:
914:
758:
676:
538:
437:
336:
235:
1018:
included spoof articles on the use of thiotimoline for debugging computers.
848:
might have been brought about by thiotimoline experiments among the ancient
1023:
921:
804:
633:
585:
528:
427:
326:
225:
1003:
936:
684:
652:
524:
423:
322:
221:
906:
859:"Thiotimoline and the Space Age" appeared in the October 1960 issue of
845:
625:
901:. Later scientists worked out ways to form endochronic molecules into
660:
1058:
List of fictional elements, materials, isotopes and atomic particles
167:. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.
999:
946:
Asimov included "Thiotimoline to the Stars" in his 1975 collection
940:
869:
700:
668:
596:
1038:
902:
1014:
The November/December 2001 and March/April 2002 issues of the
994:
to the end of time, where they will fall over the brink into
863:, which was then in the final stages of changing its name to
849:
793:
672:
27:
Fictional organic compound from short stories by Isaac Asimov
856:
by deliberately using it to artificially induce hurricanes.
841:
667:, and the thiotimoline molecule includes at least fourteen
1186:"The Endochronic Properties of Resublimated Thiotimoline"
216:"The Endochronic Properties of Resublimated Thiotimoline"
882:
624:
is a fictitious chemical compound conceived by American
687:
nucleus is unknown, although it seems in part to be an
979:'s story "Mirror mirror, off the wall", published in
1034:
788:
Fifty Years of the Best Science Fiction from Analog
1190:"The Micropsychiatric Applications of Thiotimoline"
1129:
1127:
1125:
1123:
1091:
Fake Physics: Spoofs, Hoaxes and Fictitious Science
955:
744:"The Micropsychiatric Applications of Thiotimoline"
317:"The Micropsychiatric Applications of Thiotimoline"
876:The Asimov Chronicles: Fifty Years of Isaac Asimov
1002:. "The Asenion Solution" appeared in the Asimov
811:, nicknamed "Tiotimolingrad", established in the
1204:
1120:
826:Finally, Asimov describes attempts to create a "
1140:. Garden City NY: Doubleday. pp. 488–501.
1137:The Early Asimov; or, Eleven Years of Trying
932:, where they will be spending the weekend.
64:Learn how and when to remove these messages
753:, which was listed tongue-in-cheek as the
655:such that, while two of the carbon's four
740:trying to find the nonexistent journals.
201:Learn how and when to remove this message
183:Learn how and when to remove this message
121:Learn how and when to remove this message
1087:"Science Fiction Posing as Science Fact"
867:. The article was reprinted in full in
84:This article includes a list of general
1085:May, Andrew (2019), May, Andrew (ed.),
983:in 1981, also references thiotimoline.
14:
1205:
1133:
646:
1181:Internet Speculative Fiction Database
786:. The first article also appeared in
755:Journal of Astounding Science Fiction
905:, allowing large structures such as
132:
70:
29:
1084:
1016:IEEE Design & Test of Computers
963:Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact
728:if he were revealed as the author.
24:
683:group as well. The nature of the
90:it lacks sufficient corresponding
25:
1244:
1170:
45:This article has multiple issues.
1194:"Thiotimoline and the Space Age"
1037:
956:Other references to thiotimoline
794:"Thiotimoline and the Space Age"
418:"Thiotimoline and the Space Age"
137:
75:
34:
1223:Short fiction about time travel
474:Analog Science Fiction and Fact
53:or discuss these issues on the
1155:
1144:
1078:
636:. It was first described in a
13:
1:
1228:Short stories by Isaac Asimov
1071:
949:Buy Jupiter and Other Stories
694:
981:Time Travelers Strictly Cash
807:, with the research town of
790:(Davis Publications, 1982).
7:
1099:10.1007/978-3-030-13314-6_1
1030:
883:"Thiotimoline to the Stars"
519:"Thiotimoline to the Stars"
163:the claims made and adding
10:
1249:
854:weapon of mass destruction
721:Astounding Science Fiction
707:it encountered the water.
665:Rosacea karlsbadensis rufo
373:Astounding Science Fiction
272:Astounding Science Fiction
611:
603:
591:
581:
569:
564:
554:
544:
534:
523:
518:
506:
498:
490:
480:
468:
463:
453:
443:
433:
422:
417:
405:
397:
389:
379:
367:
362:
352:
342:
332:
321:
316:
304:
296:
288:
278:
266:
261:
251:
241:
231:
220:
215:
679:group, and possibly one
738:New York Public Library
105:more precise citations.
1179:series listing at the
1134:Asimov, Isaac (1972).
764:multiple personalities
638:spoof scientific paper
899:hypersteric hindrance
1008:Foundation's Friends
823:will be successful.
689:aromatic hydrocarbon
1213:Fictional materials
1053:Tachyons in fiction
726:Columbia University
647:Chemical properties
828:Heisenberg failure
821:satellite launches
485:Street & Smith
384:Street & Smith
283:Street & Smith
148:possibly contains
1218:Hoaxes in science
1108:978-3-030-13314-6
1064:Pâté de Foie Gras
988:Robert Silverberg
930:Lincoln, Nebraska
619:
618:
514:
513:
413:
412:
312:
311:
211:
210:
203:
193:
192:
185:
150:original research
131:
130:
123:
68:
16:(Redirected from
1240:
1198:Internet Archive
1164:
1159:
1153:
1148:
1142:
1141:
1131:
1118:
1117:
1116:
1115:
1082:
1047:
1042:
1041:
998:and lead to the
783:The Early Asimov
718:, the editor of
716:John W. Campbell
675:groups, and one
604:Publication date
516:
515:
499:Publication date
415:
414:
398:Publication date
314:
313:
297:Publication date
213:
212:
206:
199:
188:
181:
177:
174:
168:
165:inline citations
141:
140:
133:
126:
119:
115:
112:
106:
101:this article by
92:inline citations
79:
78:
71:
60:
38:
37:
30:
21:
1248:
1247:
1243:
1242:
1241:
1239:
1238:
1237:
1233:False documents
1203:
1202:
1173:
1168:
1167:
1160:
1156:
1149:
1145:
1132:
1121:
1113:
1111:
1109:
1083:
1079:
1074:
1043:
1036:
1033:
977:Spider Robinson
958:
885:
796:
777:Only a Trillion
746:
697:
649:
630:science fiction
559:Science fiction
458:Science fiction
357:Science fiction
256:Science fiction
207:
196:
195:
194:
189:
178:
172:
169:
154:
142:
138:
127:
116:
110:
107:
97:Please help to
96:
80:
76:
39:
35:
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
1246:
1236:
1235:
1230:
1225:
1220:
1215:
1201:
1200:
1183:
1172:
1171:External links
1169:
1166:
1165:
1154:
1143:
1119:
1107:
1076:
1075:
1073:
1070:
1069:
1068:
1060:
1055:
1049:
1048:
1032:
1029:
957:
954:
926:United Nations
889:Harry Harrison
884:
881:
795:
792:
759:chemical bonds
745:
742:
696:
693:
681:nitro compound
661:space and time
659:lie in normal
657:chemical bonds
648:
645:
617:
616:
613:
609:
608:
605:
601:
600:
593:
589:
588:
583:
579:
578:
571:
567:
566:
562:
561:
556:
552:
551:
546:
542:
541:
536:
532:
531:
521:
520:
512:
511:
508:
504:
503:
500:
496:
495:
492:
488:
487:
482:
478:
477:
470:
466:
465:
461:
460:
455:
451:
450:
445:
441:
440:
435:
431:
430:
420:
419:
411:
410:
407:
403:
402:
399:
395:
394:
391:
387:
386:
381:
377:
376:
369:
365:
364:
360:
359:
354:
350:
349:
344:
340:
339:
334:
330:
329:
319:
318:
310:
309:
306:
302:
301:
298:
294:
293:
290:
286:
285:
280:
276:
275:
268:
264:
263:
259:
258:
253:
249:
248:
243:
239:
238:
233:
229:
228:
218:
217:
209:
208:
191:
190:
145:
143:
136:
129:
128:
83:
81:
74:
69:
43:
42:
40:
33:
26:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1245:
1234:
1231:
1229:
1226:
1224:
1221:
1219:
1216:
1214:
1211:
1210:
1208:
1199:
1195:
1191:
1187:
1184:
1182:
1178:
1175:
1174:
1163:
1158:
1152:
1147:
1139:
1138:
1130:
1128:
1126:
1124:
1110:
1104:
1100:
1096:
1092:
1088:
1081:
1077:
1066:
1065:
1061:
1059:
1056:
1054:
1051:
1050:
1046:
1045:Novels portal
1040:
1035:
1028:
1026:
1025:
1019:
1017:
1012:
1010:
1009:
1005:
1001:
997:
993:
992:plutonium-186
989:
984:
982:
978:
974:
972:
966:
964:
953:
951:
950:
944:
942:
938:
933:
931:
927:
923:
918:
916:
915:time dilation
911:
908:
904:
900:
896:
895:
891:'s anthology
890:
880:
878:
877:
872:
871:
866:
862:
857:
855:
851:
847:
843:
839:
836:
833:
829:
824:
822:
816:
814:
810:
806:
802:
791:
789:
785:
784:
779:
778:
772:
770:
765:
760:
756:
752:
741:
739:
734:
729:
727:
723:
722:
717:
712:
708:
706:
702:
692:
690:
686:
682:
678:
677:sulfonic acid
674:
670:
666:
662:
658:
654:
644:
641:
639:
635:
631:
627:
623:
614:
610:
606:
602:
598:
594:
590:
587:
584:
580:
577:
576:
572:
568:
563:
560:
557:
553:
550:
547:
543:
540:
539:United States
537:
533:
530:
526:
522:
517:
509:
505:
501:
497:
493:
489:
486:
483:
479:
476:
475:
471:
467:
462:
459:
456:
452:
449:
446:
442:
439:
438:United States
436:
432:
429:
425:
421:
416:
408:
404:
401:December 1953
400:
396:
392:
388:
385:
382:
378:
375:
374:
370:
366:
361:
358:
355:
351:
348:
345:
341:
338:
337:United States
335:
331:
328:
324:
320:
315:
307:
303:
299:
295:
291:
287:
284:
281:
277:
274:
273:
269:
265:
260:
257:
254:
250:
247:
244:
240:
237:
236:United States
234:
230:
227:
223:
219:
214:
205:
202:
187:
184:
176:
166:
162:
158:
152:
151:
146:This article
144:
135:
134:
125:
122:
114:
104:
100:
94:
93:
87:
82:
73:
72:
67:
65:
58:
57:
52:
51:
46:
41:
32:
31:
19:
1177:Thiotimoline
1157:
1146:
1136:
1112:, retrieved
1090:
1080:
1062:
1024:We Happy Few
1022:
1021:In the game
1020:
1013:
1006:
985:
980:
975:
970:
967:
962:
959:
947:
945:
934:
922:Solar System
919:
912:
892:
886:
874:
868:
864:
860:
858:
825:
817:
809:Khrushchevsk
805:Soviet Union
797:
787:
781:
775:
773:
768:
754:
750:
747:
732:
730:
719:
713:
709:
704:
698:
671:groups, two
664:
650:
642:
634:Isaac Asimov
622:Thiotimoline
621:
620:
615:Thiotimoline
586:Random House
573:
570:Published in
529:Isaac Asimov
510:Thiotimoline
502:October 1960
472:
469:Published in
428:Isaac Asimov
409:Thiotimoline
371:
368:Published in
327:Isaac Asimov
308:Thiotimoline
270:
267:Published in
226:Isaac Asimov
197:
179:
170:
147:
117:
108:
89:
61:
54:
48:
47:Please help
44:
1004:festschrift
937:Red Indians
873:(1969) and
801:Smithsonian
685:hydrocarbon
653:carbon atom
565:Publication
525:Short story
464:Publication
424:Short story
363:Publication
323:Short story
262:Publication
222:Short story
103:introducing
18:Endochronic
1207:Categories
1114:2024-03-10
1072:References
907:spaceships
894:Astounding
861:Astounding
838:hurricanes
769:Astounding
751:Astounding
733:Astounding
695:Background
626:biochemist
592:Media type
575:Astounding
491:Media type
390:Media type
300:March 1948
289:Media type
173:March 2024
157:improve it
111:March 2024
86:references
50:improve it
996:anti-time
943:, India.
850:Sumerians
582:Publisher
481:Publisher
380:Publisher
279:Publisher
161:verifying
56:talk page
1031:See also
1000:Big Bang
941:Calcutta
928:Port at
903:polymers
879:(1989).
870:Opus 100
701:catechol
597:Hardback
555:Genre(s)
545:Language
494:Magazine
454:Genre(s)
444:Language
393:Magazine
353:Genre(s)
343:Language
292:Magazine
252:Genre(s)
242:Language
1196:on the
669:hydroxy
632:author
595:Print (
549:English
535:Country
448:English
434:Country
347:English
333:Country
246:English
232:Country
155:Please
99:improve
1192:, and
1105:
971:Analog
865:Analog
832:series
705:before
612:Series
507:Series
406:Series
305:Series
88:, but
846:flood
813:Urals
749:from
673:amino
1103:ISBN
842:Noah
628:and
607:1973
1095:doi
986:In
844:'s
527:by
426:by
325:by
224:by
159:by
1209::
1188:,
1122:^
1101:,
1089:,
1011:.
973:.
965:.
952:.
835:of
815:.
771:.
691:.
59:.
1097::
599:)
204:)
198:(
186:)
180:(
175:)
171:(
153:.
124:)
118:(
113:)
109:(
95:.
66:)
62:(
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.