Category Archives: Post-lecture

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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Pesky asymmetric N atoms

Posted on October 19, 2009 by alan

I just came across this in the Editor's Choice section of Science magazine (Oct 2, 2009, p. 19):Getting a Grip on NitrogenChirality is associated more with carbon than with nitrogen centers, as the latter atoms tend to invert their configurations… Continue reading →

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Polymer humor

Posted on October 16, 2009 by alan

This was forwarded to me today from the EHS office. Acrylonitrile's formula H2C=CH-CN. Nerd humor based on a CN triple bond. "Acrylic" is a common textile material. It is favored for its wool-like feel and commonly used in socks. "Acrylic'… Continue reading →

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Resolving Agents – Achiral? Chiral?

Posted on October 14, 2009 by alan

A great question came my way right after lecture: can resolving agents by achiral?The short answer is no…. Continue reading →

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Lecture slides – Wed Oct 7

Posted on October 7, 2009 by alan

Slides for today's lecture are located here.I'll be updating this page with information on the rotation barrier in HO-OH later today. Let me know if you would like links to information about conumption/manufacture of polymers, plastics, and petroleum…. Continue reading →

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Carbocation stability & Hyperconjugation

Posted on September 30, 2009 by alan

The slides I showed in lecture today are available here.I have three short comments to go with these:… Continue reading →

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Free energy, heat, and potential

Posted on September 29, 2009 by alan

I thought I was setting the record straight on energy yesterday, but upon reflection, I made an egregious mistake. Well, I probably made several, but there's only one that I'm currently aware of.In drawing a distinction between free energy (G)… Continue reading →

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%s character & bond energy (textbook error)

Posted on September 28, 2009 by alan

On p. 146 Loudon asks "why an sp2-sp3 C-C bond is stronger than an sp3-sp3 C-C bond". It's a good question because it might help explain why more substituted alkenes are more stable than their less substituted isomers, a topic… Continue reading →

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Lecture slides – Fri Sept 18 (more MO + pKa)

Posted on September 18, 2009 by alan

Slides for today's lecture are located here. The table of common acidic functional groups and related properties are located here (note: you need to memorize the information in this table for next Friday's exam + future exams). The table will… Continue reading →

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van der Waals attraction or repulsion?

Posted on September 15, 2009 by alan

Loudon mentions two van der Waals forces in Chapter 2, an attractive force and a repulsive force. This is confusing because, other than the fact that both forces have something to do with electrons, they are not related.The attractive van… Continue reading →

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