Two exam questions are presented. One suitable for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate courses in organic chemistry, is on equivalent expressions for the description of several pericyclic reactions. The second, for general chemistry students, asks for an estimation of the rate of decay of a million-year-old Uranium-238 sample. (BB)

Reported here are brief descriptions of a common grading and scaling formula for large multi-section courses, an ion exchange amino acid separation and thin layer chromatography identification experiment, a conservation of energy demonstration, a catalyst for synthesizing esters from fatty aids, and an inexpensive method for preparing platinum…

Compares the metabolism in muscles of athletes with the energy usage patterns of the United States and India. (BB)

Describes models constructed of flat pieces cut from sheet plywood, hardboard, or plastic to replicate the shape of the main symmetry planes of molecules. Patterns for the model components are given as well as a list of pieces required to make various models. (BB)

Loyola Academy, a Jesuit high school located in Wilmette, Illinois, offers basic chemistry, chemistry I, and advanced placement chemistry. (BB)

Some of the chemical principles and strategies used in the cosmetics industry are described. Topics include the chemistry of skin, the structure of hair, and the chemical base of cosmetics. (BB)

This experiment uses a nine-chambered plexiglas unit to facilitate rapid construction of galvanic cells and measurement of cell voltage. Using this procedure, a pair of students can construct and obtain the cell voltages of two precipitation cells, three concentration cells, and six redox cells in 30-40 minutes. (BB)

The observation of soap bubbles in a beaker of carbon dioxide gas helps students to feel the pleasure that comes from understanding nature, from applying that understanding to real problems, and from making unexpected discoveries that yield to analysis. (Author/BB)

The method involves the dissolution of a small piece of metallic lithium in a small quantity of tertiary alcohol followed by addition to a mixture of the isocyanate and the tertiary alcohol in ether. This should be useful in organic chemistry laboratory courses for the identification of tertiary alcohols. (Author/BB)

This reaction is used in an introductory organic chemistry course to illustrate principles of gas-liquid chromatography, geometrical isomerism, homogeneous catalysis, and activation energy determinations. (BB)

The preparation of "p"-carboxystyrene from carboxybenzyl bromide in aqueous media is described. This is an example of a Wittig procedure that can be performed by students in one afternoon. (BB)

The Meerwein reaction is often omitted from undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory books. This experiment, the preparation of "o"-chlorocinnamic acid from "o"-chloroanaline, illustrates this section. (BB)

This safe and efficient procedure for the synthesis of N-substituted amides and hydrazides is a modification of the Schotten-Bausmann procedure in which the amine or hydrazide is replaced by the corresponding hydrochloride salt, and the use of alkali is eliminated. (Author/BB)

This manometer is a modification of a design reported previously. It contains simplifications in the design of the manometer itself and in the associated electrical circuit. The apparatus is useful in the study of gas-phase reaction kinetics. (BB)

Presents the concluding article on a checklist for chemistry laboratory safety. (SL)