“Compare Organic Chemistry To A Movie…”
Love this quote, from Organic Chemistry 1 as a Second Language by David R. Klein (fuller review to come) on organic chemistry and memorization. You
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Blog Carnival: What the Cope Rearrangement Taught Me About Chemistry
Note: to celebrate the International Year of Chemistry 2011, there’s a blog carnival going on. This is my contribution. If you can’t follow the structural
Read moreSteric Hindrance is Like a Fat Goalie
Sportswriter Todd Gallagher asked a question that every hockey fan has probably asked at one point. “Could a morbidly obese goaltender succeed in the NHL?”
Read moreClass exercise: Come up with a synthesis for this illegal drug
A while ago I got the following letter from a concerned parent (lightly edited for length). I was shocked when my daughter came home from
Read moreScrew Organic Chemistry, I’m Just Going To Write About Cats
Screw organic chemistry, I’m just going to write about cats. Organic chemistry? People don’t want to hear about it. It’s been called “worse than prison“,
Read moreOn Cats, Part 1: Conformations and Configurations
[NOTE: this has been amended to correct some confusion on my part on the difference between configurational and constitutional isocats. Thanks to Prof. Gary Weisman
Read moreOn Cats, Part 2: Cat Line Diagrams
When this blog was about organic chemistry, I’d never stoop so low as to put cute pictures of cats on my website to drive traffic.
Read moreBranching, and Its Affect On Melting and Boiling Points
Better stacking = higher melting point The above photo shows what is perhaps one of the worst games of Tetris ever played. In my defence,
Read more10@10/10/10
This is a self indulgent post. Today, October 10, 2010, marks the 10th anniversary of the day I became an organic chemist. Life works in
Read morePutting Acidity In Perspective
One concept that always seems to have a hard time getting through is that of pKa. No matter how many times I nag students to
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