This week's Orgo lab
Yonah Ziemba
This week's orgo lab 'experiment' will be basically be an introduction on using the Chemdraw software. The instructions on the hand-out from Blackboard are pretty vague about what we need to do before and during the lab, so I emailed a TA and spoke to some friends who took Orgo last year. Here's the info that I got:
1) The assignment on the handout does NOT need to be done before lab.
2) In lab, we will not be doing any work with real chemical. All we will do is the assignment from Blackboard. If you can bring your own computer it will be helpful; if not, you can manage, too.
4) I was told by one student last year that he was allowed to use the handout during lab. If so, there is no reason to rewrite it into your lab notebook. I don't know if all TA's allowed it last year. Maybe find out by emailing your TA, (the address is now posted on staff information in Blackboard). If you get an answer, please send it to the rest of us via this google group.
3) During lab, we will need to know the structure of the molecules that are mentioned on the handout. I'm going to look it up on Wikipedia and write it in to my Lab notebook before I come and this will make it much easier than calculating it myself during lab.
4) The software for two dimensional figures will be used often during the rest of the semester, so it's advisable to take the time now to learn it. (My friend decided to really learn it after the fifth lab because he consistently lost points on the reports from the labs 3,4 and 5.)
The software for 3D figures will not be used after this lab.
5) The handout says "You are responsible for the whole chapter 2 in the textbook: Organic Chemistry by Maitland Jones. Make sure to understand terms such as Newman projection, gauche, anti, eclipsed, staggered, dihedral angle, bond angle, isomers, steric hindrance, etc. and use these terms in your discussion part." (Well, it's a shame that they don't wait until we learn it in lecture... )
If you have trouble understanding it from the book, there are very helpful (and short) video demonstrations by Professor Sal Khan. Click here http://www.khanacademy.org/#organic-chemistry and watch the ones called "Newman Projections" and "Steric Hindrance" etc. They are about 10 minutes each. In general, Khan has videos on most of the topics that we'll cover in any pre-health course and he does a great job making it short, clear and easy to understand.
6) I wish were told what kind of questions will appear on the quiz. ie. will they ask us about chemdraw and and how deeply will they quiz us on chapter 2. If you know, please tell us in a general sense via the google group.
7) Have a pleasant weekend!