Anticrastination anyone?

Posted on November 11, 2010 by alan

Procrastination is a problem. I have trouble dealing with it. Everyone that I know suffers from it. (Actually, “suffers” is the wrong word; “complains” would be more accurate. Procrastination can be a good thing, but if you find yourself complaining about not getting around to things, you have a problem.)

How do I procrastinate? Two ways. First, I don’t do things that I need to do. Second, I siphon my time into other things that don’t help at all. So what can I do? Fight back. Become an Anticrastinator.

Today’s At Reed describes two computer programs, Freedom and Anti-Social (no joke!) that can help you anticrastinate more effectively. These programs won’t make you do the stuff you ought to do, but they can keep you away highly distracting time siphons.

You might also be interested in signing up for one of the anticrastination workshops offered by Student Services. The complete schedule of academic workshops is posted here; RSVP encouraged, but drop-ins are welcome.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

New Homework Signals New Direction

Posted on November 9, 2010 by alan

I have just posted a new homework assignment: HW #6. You can download it from the homework page.

This assignment signals a switch from an emphasis on modeling to an emphasis on chemical transformations. It is essential at this point that you adjust your study techniques so that you learn about transformations from several angles:

  • knowing what to expect from certain reactions (fill in the product)
  • knowing how to bring certain transformations about (fill in the reagent)
  • knowing how to produce desired materials (fill in the starting material + plan a synthesis)
  • knowing how to rationalize why things are the way they are (draw a plausible mechanism).

I hope that the new direction in homework assignments will encourage you in this.

A Study Guide and Solutions Manual essay that is particularly worthwhile: 5.2 How to Study Organic Reactions (p. 70). I hope you will incorporate the suggestions that this essay makes into your study habits. Some other valuable essays:

  • 5.3 Solving Structure Problems (p. 74)
  • 11.1 Learning New Reactions from Earlier Reactions (p. 211)
  • 11.2 Common Intermediates from Different Starting Materials (p. 211).
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on New Homework Signals New Direction

Watch the TLC video

Posted on November 8, 2010 by alan

Last Thursday night I started showing a video demonstrating the technique of thin-layer chromatography. I also pointed out where to find this link. Let me point you at it again:

Lab techniques (MIT videos): TLC (thin-layer chromatography) (16 min)
(located in Off Campus section of our Links page)

You might also like the video and animation provided by the Interactive Lab Primer. I haven’t watched it so you tell me which one, MIT or Interactive Lab, should go into the lab manual.

Please watch one video or the other before lab this week. Students who finish their columns by 4 PM will be expected to do some TLC analyses before leaving the lab. Stragglers will need to watch the videos again before next week’s lab.

Posted in Labs | Tagged | Comments Off on Watch the TLC video

Learn about the last EDG on your own

Posted on November 3, 2010 by alan

I have posted all of the slides from today’s lecture (see Syllabus or here). I did not finish my description of electron-donating groups (EDG), but I had saved the easiest material for last so I would like you to look over slides 15-18 on your own. The next exam covers all of the material through this class. The exam will not cover material from Friday’s upcoming class.

Here is a verbal description of what you should get from slides 15-18: Continue reading →

Posted in Post-lecture | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Learn about the last EDG on your own

Advice on working with models

Posted on October 30, 2010 by alan

Problem-solving
and working with molecular models are fundamentally different activities. It’s
natural to feel some urgency when you practice solving problems, and the more
you practice solving a certain kind of problem, the easier and faster it should
get.

This is not a useful way to approach the molecular modeling questions on homework assignments. The models that
you build contain a lot of information, some of it useful, some of it
not. You should take your time to
look the models over from different angles, juxtapose what you see against what you have learned
elsewhere, and develop some mental pictures that inform your understanding of
chemical phenomena. The goal is not to learn a new problem-solving skill, but to create another dimension for thinking about chemistry. If you don’t feel like you have the time to do this, save
the models for another day.

Posted in Homework | Tagged , | Comments Off on Advice on working with models

C12 H25 Cl O2

Posted on October 29, 2010 by alan

Problem 2B on yesterday’s conference assignment contained the wrong formula for the intermolecular substitution product. It should be C12 H25 Cl O2.

Other comments: problem #3 was basically covered in lecture so please flip the page and try your hand on the NMR problem (#4).

Posted in Conference | Tagged , | Comments Off on C12 H25 Cl O2

Contemplating the rest of the semester

Posted on October 19, 2010 by alan

Exam #2 has been graded. Scores are based on a 100-point scale just like the first exam and are written in a box on the last page of the exam.

You can pick up your exam from Kathy Kennedy on Wednesday of Fall Break, or from Alan on Thursday and Friday of Fall Break.
Continue reading →

Posted in Exams | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Contemplating the rest of the semester

Potentials and Potential Maps

Posted on September 13, 2010 by alan

Today’s class on electron-deficient atoms and Lewis acids was very informative for me. I want to thank all of the students who were willing to share their questions with me. Your questions are how I learn.

Here are a few post-lecture comments on today’s material that I hope will provide some additional food for thought.
Continue reading →

Posted in Post-lecture | Comments Off on Potentials and Potential Maps

Lab lecture for pKa measurement

Posted on September 10, 2010 by alan

I received a request for copies of last night’s lab lecture. There are two files you can download:

Posted in Labs | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Lab lecture for pKa measurement

Electron density, potential maps, and more

Posted on September 4, 2010 by alan
Posted in Post-lecture | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Electron density, potential maps, and more