Organic Chemistry

So when I was teaching, the one thing that I always heard was: “O-chem lab is a waste. It is a ton of work for only one credit.” I am not going to lie to anyone about this; yes, it is a lot of work for that minuscule credit that (frankly) few people are going to care about. I have been told, however, that medical schools DO care about o-chem lab. So if you are one of those aspiring students who hopes one day to be abused as a resident at a busy hospital working 100 hour work weeks but not having quite as much fun as those crazy kids on the hit TV show “Scrubs”, you care about organic chemistry lab.

Now here is the way to an easier time in organic chemistry lab:

1) Pre-lab preparation:

this is the most underrated portion of what goes on. Go to my favorite site http://www.chemfinder.com and print out information on every chemical you are going to use and bring it to lab with you that day. It will be a great resource to refer to when you need it and will keep you from saying to your already cranky TA, whose English is iffy at best: “Does this look right?” Read the rest of this entry »

The molecular model set is basically configured for some particular areas of study. They include crystal lattices, biochemistry, organic chemistry and stereo chemistry among others. They include several types of components and permit building structures that are specific to the interest areas. Their main purpose is for educational purposes. They are a set of plastic bonds and atoms that enables the learners to construct space filing models of organic compounds and also to construct ball and stick structure.

It is divided into several divisions which they include the orbit molecular model sets that is meant for education especially in organic chemistry, lattices and in biochemistry. When it comes to biochemistry sets, the learners’ molecular model set makes sugars, peptides, steroids, fats, glycerol, lipids, complex polysaccharides and reaction mechanisms among others. Crystal lattice structure set is also a division whereby the student molecular model set puts up seven main crystal systems and lattice structures like metals, diamond and graphite. Read the rest of this entry »

Generally, the major uses of fluorochemical compounds fall into three major categories at the turn of the 21st century. The first are the rather stable halocarbon compounds used in medicine such as several types of inhalation anesthetics for anaesthesia. A very major industrial use is in the form of heat tolerant and inert synthetic oils and metalworking lubricants. However, there are many fluorochemicals and halocarbon chemicals that are used extensively, albeit carefully, in organic (meaning carbon containing) chemistry. The unique nature of fluorine, even among other halogen elements, grants halocarbon fluoro compounds unique properties that are indispensable in organic chemical work.

Since the discovery of hydrofluoric acid (HF) from calcium fluoride and sulphuric acid in the 17th century, it has been well known to generations of chemists that certain fluorochemical compounds have very unusual properties. The etching of glass has been performed commercially with HF since the 18th century. Despite being a weak acid, it has an unparalleled ability to corrode silicon and calcium. Much of the pure and quite toxic elemental fluorine (F) is produced from HF by electrolysis. Read the rest of this entry »