Author Archives: alan

Liquid mercury

Posted on September 19, 2008 by alan

We won't be using liquid mercury in the o chem lab, but it was widely used in many of the research labs where I worked. I even played with some liquid mercury when I was little. This video shows you… Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Liquid mercury

C7 H10 O3 contest – Week #1 Results

Posted on September 13, 2008 by alan

Week #1? Yes, that's right. Last week's contest brought in only three entries and the results were so intriguing (see below) that I thought it would be fun to extend the contest two more weeks. So I will collect entries… Continue reading →

Posted in Contests & Challenges | 2 Comments

Localized Molecular Orbital pictures (from lecture)

Posted on September 11, 2008 by alan

If you would like to look at the pictures of localized molecular orbitals (impress your parents! amaze your friends!) that I displayed in yesterday's lecture, download the following PDF files.Propene, CH3-CH=CH2Formaldehyde, CH2=O… Continue reading →

Posted in Post-lecture | Comments Off on Localized Molecular Orbital pictures (from lecture)

Hyperventilating about hypervalent atoms

Posted on September 4, 2008 by alan

This question came up after lecture and its one worth bringing to the o chem public: Should sulfuric acid be drawn with double bonds (the way I originally drew it in lecture) or with single bonds+formal charges (the way I… Continue reading →

Posted in Post-lecture | 5 Comments

Study Tips

Posted on August 20, 2008 by alan

An idiosyncratic assortment of suggestions and observations based on 23+ years of teaching…. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Four Unsolved Problems

Posted on August 20, 2008 by alan

Once you get used to them, you may find that the problems in your textbook have a game-like quality. If you make the right mental "moves", you will nearly always solve the problem. It's a nice way to get started… Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Four Unsolved Problems

The Joys of Being a Chemistry Student

Posted on August 20, 2008 by alan

My first genuine taste of organic chemistry came in my sophomore year of college (73-74). I studied from a large (1000 page) textbook not too different from yours. There was a lot to remember, but I was doing alright until… Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on The Joys of Being a Chemistry Student