Iron smelting! Photo credit: http://sclowcountryoutdoors.blogspot.com/2011/02/iron-smelting-at-acba.html In the beginning, the term actually made sense. When the alchemists and medieval metallurgists started doing experiments to quantify exactly how
Read moreThe Chemical Formula For Poop (Among Other Things) Some days you might feel like you can’t escape organic chemistry. You leave the lecture hall and
Read moreFollowing up on the 4 major classes of reactions you encounter in Org 1, let’s look at the first of those four: acid base reactions.
Read moreFollowing up on the 4 most important patters of reactions in Org 1, and introduction to acid-base reactions, here’s the second major pattern. It’s called
Read moreAt least 80% of the reactions you will learn in Org 1 fall into one of these 4 categories. The sooner you can get into the habit of recognizing bond formation and breakage the better off you will be.
Read moreThe most important question when learning a new reaction is recognizing “What Bonds Form, What Bonds Break?” If that’s #1, then what’s the second most
Read moreSo what is the key “driving force” involved in chemistry? A chemist would say that “opposite charges attract, like charges repel.” But how can we
Read moreThere’s a hidden layer of detail beneath chemical structures that students new to organic chemistry often miss. I’m talking about partial charges. Although each of
Read moreHow To Determine Partial Charges Last time we talked about how electrons are the “currency” of chemistry and every reaction is a transaction of electrons
Read moreIntroduction To Resonance Last time we talked about how to use electronegativity to find the electron densities in a molecule – and when to ignore
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