A few minor changes.....
I've posted a new YouTube Chemistry Video of the Week (link to the right below the WikiMapia entry). If you've ever seen the original Robert Palmer video "Addicted to Love" from the 1980s you'll enjoy this. If not, YouTube has links to the original. I've also changed the WikiMap -- it now has the University of Pittsburgh's Chemistry Building in the center. This is where Professor Crouch is spending his year on sabbatical.
Basic Concepts of Alcohols
Today we focused on the alcohol functional group, particularly its ability to serve as a Lewis acid and as a Lewis base. We spent a fair amount of time on refamiliarizing everyone with arrows and what they mean. We also showed how resonance supports the idea that phenols are more acidic than normal alcohols. At the end of class you were given the assignment of comparing two differently substituted phenoxides and determining which would have greater stability and would therefore be the conjugate base of the stronger acid. This was all from sections 17.1 - 17.4; Friday's class will cover material from 17.5 & 17.6.
For those of you looking ahead, Monday will be 17.7 - 17.9 and Wednesday will be 17.9 - 17.12.
Also, starting tomorrow night, a tutor will be available on Mondays and Thursdays from 7 - 9 pm in Althouse 4.
Problem Set Posted
As promised, the
first problem set (and its corresponding
answer key) have been posted. This is a straight-forward exercise in addition of nucleophiles to C=O bonds. This is for those who are working ahead as we won't cover the material until the end of the day tomorrow or on Friday.
So far, I've collected 13 clicker numbers. Don't forget that I need them by the end of the week!
Getting Started
OK, today was the first day and we didn't really do a whole lot. Essentially we covered the basics of the course -- grading, timing of exams, where to find information, course materials, etc. I also mentioned the material that we would be covering on Wednesday (17.1 - 17.4) and Friday (17.5, 17.6). So check out the to-do list and get started on the things that you need to do in order to be successful in this course. Specifically, do Chapter 2 in Klein II and start reading Chapter 17 in McMurry. If you haven't yet watched the YouTube chemistry video of the week (see link on the right, under the WikiMapia section) make sure you do so because it will be changing in the next day or two.
Problem Set #1 will be posted tomorrow.
Welcome!
Excellent...you've made it to this page. Take a few minutes and look around. As I mentioned in the e-mail, this is going to be the source of all information for Chem 242. You'll see that there are links for the grid, syllabus, my homepage, to e-mail me, Need to Know links, etc. You can also see my calendar (although it is not dynamic, I'll have to update it manually) so you can tell if I'm around or not. I also have links to "To-do lists" -- a new feature that I hope will allow you to focus on what has to be done. There is also an address for a site feed -- if you want to subscribe to this site using an RSS reader, you'll be able to do so with the link provided. The ZoomClouds feature will evolve as the semester goes along. As terms show up in the entries, they will also show up in the ZoomCloud; clicking on the word will take you to a listing of the entries containing that term. Or so they say......
