Blog

In writing about “The Language of Organic Chemistry”, I’m not sure where the “Too Much Information” should go. A blog sounds like a good description of it. So until I decide otherwise, I am going to write a blog, but it is probably TMI.

music i write with

I guess I should change this. None -- I’m listening to NPR.

I left this (MUSIC and PPT) in just to show you how wide the gap is between Apple Computers and me.

People places things

Right now, this entire area should be nothing

Dec 30, 2006

But a few shots from NYC

Dec 30, 2006

NYC

Dec 30, 2006

Thursday, January 4, 2007

Changes in website

Using RapidWeaver, I have succeeded in creating a basic website. I have two linked sites, one at CurvedArrow.com which has a sub-site phpBB forum dedicated to an organic chemistry. The other is a vestigial site I created with iWeb. This site is at CurvedArrowPress.com.

There were some programming problems that I was able to solve. First of all, because I didn't know how to create and link my other website to my organic chemistry forum site, RW enabled me to create that link with a sidebar

Wednesday, January 3, 2007

How does the human brain work?

I was listening to Carla Shatz on http://www.twit.tv/fib10?p=0 . She was discussing her work on how the brain works.

Carla J. Shatz, Ph.D.
Department Chair and
Nathan Marsh Pusey Professor of Neurobiology
Harvard Medical School

“The human brain is the most complex computational machine imaginable. There are well over a hundred billion nerve cells and even more connections. It is this complexity of connectivity, and its precision that determines how the brain works. But how does this wiring

Thursday, December 28, 2006

SN1 and SN2 Reactions Part 2

The SN1 and SN2 examples I have place in substitution reactions should be given further scrutiny. As a practicing synthetic organic chemist, SN1 and SN2 reaction mechanism were not of great concern. Depending on the requirements, reactions would be optimal SN1 or SN2 reactions. Thus, if one needed to form a new bond and if stereochemistry of the product was to be controlled, then an SN2 reaction would be called for. In attempting to accomplish an SN2 reaction, one would use optimal SN2

Thursday, December 28, 2006

SN1 and SN2 Reactions

Let us consider SN1 and SN2 reactions and concertedness. As my premise that there are no concerted reactions, that is, if time is infinitely divisible, then it is not possible for three objects to collide at exactly the same time. One collision will always precede the other.

For SN1 and SN2 reactions, then the notion of SN1 reactions is easy. Bond breaking precedes bond formation. That is the essence of SN1 reactions. Bond breaking leads to a carbocation intermediate.

However, that would

Friday, December 15, 2006

What is new with TLOC

From an email message:

... When you get my book, you will see it is just like the lectures except you don't have to attend. Well, not exactly, but I would be surprised if you couldn't learn organic chemistry on your own using TLOC. The real truth is that everything you have learned in your life, you have learned on your own. There is no other way. So, I think you can learn ochem on your own also.

... I had a high school student, without any organic chemistry, he started learning organic

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