Monthly Archives: November 2009

URGENT – Change schedule for Exam #3 ???

Posted on November 7, 2009 by alan

I've been looking over Chapter #9 and the schedule for the next two weeks and I'm kicking around two options in my mind. Option #1Exam #3 would still be on Monday, November 16. However, if the exam were to be… Continue reading →

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Dining in a Looking-Glass Universe

Posted on November 6, 2009 by alan

Pity (or envy) poor Alice. In one book she falls down a rabbit hole. When she gets to her feet, she finds bits of food that demand to be eaten ("Eat me!"). And in the next book she steps through… Continue reading →

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Lecture slides – Fri Nov 6

Posted on November 6, 2009 by alan

Slides from today's lecture can be viewed here.Correction: I was gently informed after lecture that I was wrong about the behavior of CH3CN (acetonitrile) and water. They do mix. I had said they don't. In fact, mixtures of these solvents… Continue reading →

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Lecture slides – Wed, Nov 4

Posted on November 6, 2009 by alan

I didn't use PowerPoint on Wednesday, but I did show potential maps of several simple molecules that represent the functional groups covered in chapter 8. Slides of these potential maps can be viewed here…. Continue reading →

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Isopentyl acetate report – due date & extra info

Posted on November 5, 2009 by alan

As reported in lecture this evening, the lab report for this experiment will be due at the "end" of Monday, Nov 16. FYI "end" means before I arrive on Tuesday morning.I forgot one vital piece of information concerning the lab… Continue reading →

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Pharmaceutical Companies Develop Better Placebos

Posted on November 3, 2009 by alan

I'm sure you are all familiar with the "placebo effect", the ability of an inactive substance to produce biological effects. The usual explanation is that the placebo substance activates the patient's "belief" that a treatment is being received and this… Continue reading →

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Lecture slides – Fri Oct 30

Posted on November 2, 2009 by alan

The slides for last Friday's lecture, which covered the last part of Chapter 7 – the stereochemistry of chemical reactions – can be viewed here…. Continue reading →

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Lecture slides – Mon Nov 2

Posted on November 2, 2009 by alan

Today's lecture discussed how to name these classes of compounds: RX, ROH, RSH, ROR, RSR. An important point: the complexity of naming/drawing problems will be limited to compounds containing a single principal group.Slides for today's lecture are located here…. Continue reading →

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Lab this week – NMR Workshop

Posted on November 1, 2009 by alan

Those of you who check the online lab calendar have probably wondered what is an NMR workshop?Simple. It's classroom time devoted to studying Loudon, Chapter 13, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy.The students in each lab session this week will spend… Continue reading →

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