Many students find the transition from first-year general chemistry to second-year organic chemistry a daunting task. There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is their lack of a solid understanding and appreciation of the importance of some basic concepts and principles from general chemistry that play an extremely critical role in…

A method designed to facilitate prediction of mechanism and products by developing critical thinking skills and reducing memorization is presented. The mechanistic disc method requiring students to utilize their understanding of charge stabilization, structural organic chemistry, and the fundamental mechanisms of aliphatic substitution and…

In this classroom activity, students perform a series of tests with deicers to decide which works better at melting ice and then decide if calcium chloride deicer is worth the extra cost. (MM)

Describes a chemistry word elimination game that can be used to provide an instructive student activity. (BT)

Explains that triglycerides consist of a mixture of different compounds, depending on the total number of fatty acid constituents. Details the method and instrumentation necessary for students to analyze a vegetable oil for its triglyceride content. Describes sample results. (CW)

Presented is an introduction to the interpretation of electron spin resonance spectra of organic radicals. The article is written for undergraduate college students. (RH)

Introduced is a method for estimating carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) shifts. The method is brief and simple so that students can use it with ease. (RH)

Presents a figure that aids in unifying stereochemical concepts in organic chemistry instruction. (CS)

Reports a method of preparation for tris(ethylenediamine)cobalt(III) and tris(2,2'-bipyridine)cobalt(III) that will shorten the preparation time by approximately 3 hours. Notes the time for synthesis and isolation of compound one was 1 hour (yield 38 percent) while compound two took 50 minutes (yield 71%). (MVL)

Designed for the organic chemist involved in interpreting NMR spectra, basic concepts of chemical shift equivalence and magnetic equivalence in NMR spectrometry are discussed. (CS)

This tutorial is intended to introduce factor and cluster analysis at a level that will afford the senior student or the practicing chemist some insights into the workings of the computer packages employing these methods, without being overwhelming with mathematical detail or process. Included are basic terms and working examples. (CW)

Describes an undergraduate physical chemistry experiment which demonstrates the principles of solution calorimetry and the entropy titration technique. (CS)

Provides a list of the reactions commonly used for introductory kinetics studies. These reactions illustrate the kinetics concepts of rate law, rate constant, and reaction order. Describes a kinetic study of the hydrolysis of 3-bromo-3-phenylpropanoic acid which offers many educational advantages. (CS)

Describes a physical chemistry experiment that allows students to test the effect of ionic strength on the rates of a reaction between ions. The reduction of hexacyanoferrate III by ascorbic acid is detailed. Comparisons with the iodine clock reaction are made. (CS)

The synthesis of 1,4-diphenylbutadiene by means of the Wittig reaction is presented as suitable for organic chemistry students at the end of a basic laboratory program to apply laboratory skills and display understanding of the use of phase transfer catalysis and its application in syntheses. (CS)