Chem 201 Archive – Alan Shusterman

Category: Contests & Challenges

  • Top 6 Reflections. Vote for your favorites

    Dec 31, 2013 Update. 20 students sent me their votes for the top Improvement and top Insight reflections.

    Here are the results for the top Improvement:

    1. familiarize ourselves with the material before class – 5 votes
    2. don’t skip the more difficult problems and study together outside of class – 3 votes
    3. set up checkpoints and rotate responsibility for bringing model kits to class – 5 votes
    4. establish friendly and strong communication in the group – 3 votes
    5. study and review together before exams – 3 votes
    6. stay on task and don’t “be talking about nonsense” – 1 vote

    Here are the results for the top Insight (many of these were prefaced by, “the greatest surprise to me is”:

    1. actively engaging with the material helps me understand, but a lecture can also clarify key connections – 1 vote
    2. learn better by explaining things to others – 8 votes
    3. group work can be difficult because sometimes I am too shy to speak up and I don’t want to slow the others down – 5 votes
    4. genuine commitment to group work makes it more effective, everyone contributes in some form or other – 2 votes
    5. the ability to memorize seems to make the difference on exam and we need to find ways (e.g. mnemonic devices) that help this – 3 votes
    6. differences between groups can be surprisingly large – 1 vote

    To read the original ground rules and the full reflections that people voted on, just keep reading.

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  • Rate of Nucleophilic Substitution Contest – My Response

    If you recall, the winners of this contest were chosen by pulling cards out of a hat, an unusually large (size 7 3/4″) black top hat. The questions asked by the winners* were:

    1. Fluffy C. – Are the low reactivity of bromocyclohexane and bromocycloheptane towards NaI due to the way the rings fold?
    2. Ross Y. – What is the relationship between angle strain and SN1 reactivity in cycloalkyl bromides?
    3. Kelsey W – Why is 3-bromocyclohexene more reactive than bromocyclohexane towards NaI?

    These are all great questions and none of them have obvious answers so its a good thing I wasn’t forced to answer them on the night of the contest.
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  • C7 H10 O3 contest – Week #3 Results

    The final week of the C7 H10 O3 contest brought in two entries. Gabe Holt and Patrick Fink had submitted an entry during week #1, but all of the other participants were brand new, bringing the total number of participating students to 19 (one-third of the class).

    Unfortunately, neither team could come up with an isomer that had been described in the scientific literature so we don’t really have a “winner” in the usual sense this week. However, in the event of a tie, the judges (me) have decided that the runner-ups will split the usual prizes, so everyone will go home with half of a milk chocolate truffle pig. Enjoy. Here are the structures that were submitted this week:

    C7H10O3 week 3.gif

    And since you are probably dying to know what the best-studied isomers look like,

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  • C7 H10 O3 contest – Week #2 Results

    The C7 H10 O3 contest continues with three new entries. The winning team nearly hit the jackpot: 140 references. Congratulations Orissa and Rachel !!

    The other teams submitted molecules that looked pretty interesting to me, but I guess organic chemists haven’t had a chance to study them yet. No hits.

    C7H10O3 week 2.gif

    The contest continues with the same rules for one more week:

    The rules for entering the contest this FINAL week: any 3-5 people in the class may combine on an
    entry and turn it in to me by lab lecture next Th (Sept 25). Just draw
    an isomer of C7 H10 O3 on a piece of paper, add your names, and you’re
    in! There are two constraints: winners from weeks #1 and #2 should not
    re-enter (give others a chance!) and I won’t accept multiple entries
    from the same person.

  • C7 H10 O3 contest – Week #1 Results

    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 this coming week and name a new winner, and then I will repeat the entire process the following week. So you have three chances to win in all.

    The rules for entering the contest this week are identical to those from last week. Any 3-5 people in the class may combine on an entry and turn it in to me by lab lecture next Th (Sept 18). Just draw an isomer of C7 H10 O3 on a piece of paper, add your names, and you’re in! There are two constraints: winners from this week should not re-enter (give others a chance!) and I won’t accept multiple entries from the same person.

    OK. So what did this week’s entries look like and who won?

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